Three Little Words
by donna79
Summary: Three Little Words Summary: Bella's life hasn't been easy as of late. What happens when someone forces her to make up her mind? Will she make the right decision? Will she finally be happy? Not until the person who can make her whole again comes along.
1. Not Just Me

**Story Title: Three Little Words**

**Summary: Bella's life hasn't been easy as of late. What happens when someone forces her to make up her mind? Will she make the right decision? Will she finally be happy? Not until the person who can make her whole again comes along.**

**Disclaimer I own Twilight! Don't believe me? Well fine, then I won't share it with you.**

**AN: I had the idea for this story while in the middle of writing something else and it would not let up until I started to write it. This story started out as a one shot and has now turned into a thirty plus chapter with no end in sight. Also, the chapter title is a song by Rascal Flatts. I thought that the song fit the chapter.**

I love you. It's something every person wants to hear from the person that they care the most for. What happens when you care for more than one person? This was Bella Swan's dilemma. Each person offers her their own version of forever. One seems ideal; the other has her changing her life completely. If she were anyone else, she could talk to her mom or dad.

Bella is not an ordinary girl. She couldn't go to anyone about her problem. She has her best friend whose friends have given up so much for her on one side, and the man she has promised herself to whose family loves her unconditionally on the other. She loves Edward so much, but there were times when Jacob has her thinking that she is making the wrong decision.

Jacob is a good person, he is honest, sweet, and there for her when she needs him. Edward is polite, he's a gentleman, and he has been more than understanding about her friendship with Jacob since she had put her foot down.

Now if only they would get along. That was the only thing that she had asked of them. Jacob's constant bad mouthing and Edwards constant need to throw their relationship in Jacob's face was starting to wear her down. She needed to sit them down together and try to work things out. Jacob had at least been nice the night of the battle. He had asked her for time and she was going to give it to him. When he was ready she would welcome him back into her life with open arms.

Jacob had been gone two weeks when her dad came home with the missing person fliers. Billy had asked him not to make them but Charlie had done it anyway. Seeing Jacob's face staring back at her from under the word 'Missing' tore at her heart. She was the reason that he had left. And she was going to be the reason that he came back. She would do whatever it took.

XXXX

Edward had understood when she said that she didn't feel comfortable getting married without Jacob there. She hadn't given up her search. No one from the pack knew where Jacob had gone. Billy wouldn't tell her if he had known.

She lay awake at night wondering how she could have been so selfish. Edward had asked her to stay away from Jacob. He had warned her that Jacob would get the wrong idea. He had been right; she had hurt both of them. Now she had to make it right.

"Bella, are you awake?" Edward asked as he climbed through her window.

She didn't acknowledge him until he sat next to her on the bed. She turned her head to look at him, her face expressionless.

"Still no word?"

She shook her head, not noticing the hurt look he was giving her. He lay next to her but didn't touch her. He lay on his back with his arms behind his head. She hadn't been herself for weeks. He had tried everything he could to assuage her fears. Her best friend had left without so much as telling her goodbye. That would hurt anyone. Her actions hurt him, she had to see that.

"I love you Bella. I will do whatever you want," he whispered loud enough for her to hear.

She had heard him, but she didn't reply. It wasn't that she didn't love him, because she did. She was just so worried about Jacob. Where was he? Was he alright? Would he ever come home? She worried about him night and day now.

XXXX

The day that Edward and Bella were supposed to get married dawned bright. Jacob put on his sunglasses as he continued walking. Cars passed him every few miles, but other than that the road was deserted. An eighteen wheeler came to a stop beside him and the passenger side window rolled down.

"Where you headed?" A man who looked to be his dad's age asked.

"La Push."

"I'm headed to Port Angeles. I can drop you off."

"I don't have any money to give you."

"I don't need any kid, get in."

Jacob climbed in and the driver silently put the truck in drive. The ride to La Push was filled with silence, which Jacob appreciated. If the guy had tried to start a conversation with him he would have thrown himself from the truck without thinking twice. Jacob directed him towards the reservation and told him that he could walk the rest of the way. The truck would never make it off the reservation without being towed.

"Thanks," Jacob said holding out his hand.

"Don't mention it," The guy said as he pumped Jacob's hand heartily.

Jacob was lucky that no one had seen him as he walked to his dad's. He walked into the house hearing the shot gun in his dad's room being cocked.

"Dad it's me. Don't shoot!" he called.

Billy came out of his room with tears in his eyes. Jacob dropped his bag before walking down the hall. He fell to his knees in front of his dad, wrapping his arms around him.

"Thank you Lord," Billy whispered.

"I figured you'd be at the wedding."

"It got called off."

"She's already one of them, isn't she?" he asked quietly.

"Nope; she didn't want to get married without her best friends blessing," he said with a pleased smile.

"What? Jacob asked as he pulled away.

"You need to talk to her."

"Is she still with him?"

"As far as I know," Billy said with a nod.

"Then I don't want to see her."

"Son, she's hurting. Charlie hasn't seen her like this before."

"What about when he left?"

"Charlie says its worse. She won't even talk to Edward."

He let out a frustrated growl before storming into his room. He tied a shirt and shorts to his leg before taking off his shoes.

"Tie these around my neck when I get outside."

"What are you gonna do?" Billy asked worriedly.

"This is the fastest way to get to her," he said once they were on the porch.

He phased before leaning down so that his dad could tie the shoes around his neck. He kept his mind clear as he sprinted towards Bella's house. He stopped a few miles from her house. Edward was there, but he couldn't hear Bella.

_If you're going to listen to my thoughts the least you can do is show yourself. _Edward thought.

_Meet me in the forest. Don't tell Bella._

_No._

_No?_

_I'll leave. You come and see her. You give her your blessing; then you can go back to wherever you were._

_Fine, have it your way. _Jacob thought bitterly.

_You have fifteen minutes. _

Edward was leaving as Jacob came through the woods. The front door was unlocked so he let himself in. He walked up the stairs quietly seeing her door sitting open. He took a deep breath before crossing the room. She was facing away from him on the bed. He put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention but she didn't even flinch. This was worse than when Edward had left, at least then she had shrugged him off when he had come to see her.

He moved to the other side of the bed to see her staring at him with wide, wild eyes.

"Hey," he said quietly.

She stared at him like she didn't believe that he was in front of her.

"You can't say anything?" he asked.

She sighed as she rolled over, making room for him on the bed. He sat next to her, not wanting to touch her.

"I guess I'll talk then. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I left. I tried to tell myself that it would get easier because it was for the best. After a few weeks I started believing it, even if it was a lie. I came back to try one last time to try to make you see that you're making the wrong decision. I was hoping to make you see how much I need you. I need you more than anyone I have ever met."

She put a hand on his, making look down at their hands.

"I need you too," she said quietly.

"Just not the way that you need him," he said as he moved his hand from under hers.

"No, I need you more," she admitted.

"But you don't love me."

"I don't know. I'm so confused. Can't you just accept that I need you? Just for now?" she asked pleadingly.

"He's outside. My fifteen minutes aren't even up yet. It figures he wouldn't keep his promise," he said bitterly.

"Bella, is everything alright?" Edward asked from the window.

"I know you heard. I'm sorry. I can't keep this," she said taking off the ring.

She held it out to him. He looked at her sadly as he took it.

"I'll let the two of you know my decision as soon as I decide. Until then, I don't want to see either of you. Please don't call me either."

"Bella," Edward started.

"No Edward, I can't. Not now," she said shaking her head quickly.

"He got to say what he needed to say. I can't?" he asked hurtfully.

"I've already heard it Edward. I get it; you think that I'm making a mistake. Am I right?"

"That about sums it up," he said with a sigh.

"What is she making a mistake about?"

"That's between us. Can the two of you please leave?"

Edward climbed out the window and Jacob left by the front door. Bella fell against the bed with a sigh. Jacob had come back to her on the day that she was supposed to get married to try one last time to get her to listen to reason. He had laid his heart on the line. Did she love him? Not the way that she loved Edward. Then why had she reacted the way she had? It wasn't just because she had missed him.

She hadn't been fair to either of them the entire time that she had been with Edward. Her friendship with Jacob was too important for her to just give up on it. She needed to make a decision and stick to it.

XXXX

His car was the only one in the driveway. Bella stood on the porch waiting for him to answer the door. He answered the door, giving her a curious look.

"Tell me that you love me," she said hopefully.

"Bella he started with a sigh.

"Please?" she asked as she cut him off.

"I love you."

"'I love you Bella.'"

"I love you Bella," he said with all the feeling he had.

She smiled up at him before wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled his head down to hers, brushing her lips to his. She pulled away still smiling.

"I love you too, Jake."

He picked her up off of the ground, holding her close to him.

"You don't know how long I have been waiting to hear you say that."

"I plan on making it up to you."

"Well I hope so," he said as he rolled his eyes.

"You're a goofball, you know that don't you?" she asked with a throaty laugh.

"Duh," he said giving her a blank look.

She laughed before kissing him again. This kiss was more heated; he set her down but held her in place. Her hands were in his hair as she opened her mouth to him.

"Aww jeez, are you sure you made the right decision?" Jared asked from the yard.

"That's gonna be burned in my brain forever," Quil countered.

"Leave them alone you two. We can handle patrol without you Jake. Good to see you again Bella," Sam said before turning to walk away.

"You too," Bella called after him.

She fell against Jacob as her body shook with laughter. He laughed lightly as he held her.

"Well, they know," he said, still laughing.

"That went well," she said as she tried to control her laughter.

"Have you talked to Edward?"

"I talked to him this morning."

"And?" he asked expectantly.

"I don't know how he took it. He's really good at hiding his emotions when he wants to," she said with a shrug and a sigh.

"I would never do that."

"You never have. Why would you start now?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" she asked with an abrupt laugh.

"For choosing me," he said endearingly.

"Just keep doing what you're doing and I'll stick around."

"I promise."

She let go of him and he loosened his grip slightly. She laid her head on his chest and he rested his chin on top of her head. They needed to talk about certain things, but that could wait. Right now they were going to take it one day at a time.


	2. Worth the Sacrifice

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: Thank you, thank you, and thank you again for the wonderful response to this story. I promise all of you that you will love it just as much as I do.**

He hadn't told anyone where he was going. He had been careful to keep it spur of the moment, that way Alice wouldn't see him until he was already there. Stepping off the plane in Italy he finally let his thoughts turn to the Volturi.

He kept to the mountains knowing that it was the fastest way to get to Volterra. He was not about to commit Grand Theft Auto. Soon the red flags and hillside castle came into view. His family probably hadn't even come up with a plan yet.

Edward stepped through the gates then pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. He didn't want to be noticed before it was time. He passed throngs of people. Street venders hawking their goods and children begging for food littered the street. He gave what little money he had on him to a woman in rags to feed her two small children.

The woman had been more than grateful, and had wanted to talk to him a little longer. He politely explained to her that there was somewhere that he had to be and that it was very important. He patted the boy and girl on the head tenderly before continuing on.

Every alley way looked the same. But he was looking for one that stood out from all the others. Someone pulled at his arm with a vice like grip, making him look over his shoulder. Demetri sneered down at him, guiding him through the crowd.

"I didn't realize that you would be waiting for me," Edward said quietly.

"I wasn't. I saw you talking to the woman and her brats," Demetri growled.

"They were more respectful and more appreciative then the pain inducing vampire brat," Edward countered.

Demetri steered him into an entrance way. The familiar red door was at the end and the alley that Edward had been looking for veered off on the left. Once inside Demetri led Edward down a hall. This was not the way that he had come in either time before.

They walked down a lighted hallway and came out just to the right of the receptionist desk. The receptionist looked at Edward with a smug smile, but didn't say anything. Aro, Caius, and Marcus were waiting for them when they came in.

"Let him go Demetri," Caius said quietly.

"You are free to go now Demetri," Aro said before clapping his hands in dismissal.

Edward lunged forward when Demetri roughly let go of him. The door shut behind him before Aro stood.

"This is a surprise. We did not expect to see you so soon, and without your mate," he said standing in front of Edward.

"That is why I am here. Bella and I are no longer together. I've come to ask you not to come after her."

"We cannot just ignore the fact that she knows everything about us. She has seen us Edward," Marcus said.

"Let me see if I can see what's going on, shall we?" Aro asked.

Edward held out a hand and Aro clasped it in his. Everything was quiet as Edward sent Aro select images and thoughts of the last time he had seen Bella.

"He is telling the truth. She has chosen to be human."

"We cannot just let the situation go unpunished," Caius observed.

"I have a solution. If Edward chooses to join us, we will forget about his precious Bella," Aro said.

"That is more than fair," Caius said in agreement.

Joining them was the last thing he wanted to do. It was a high price to pay to ensure Bella's safety.

"You would not need to change your habits for us. I'm sure that Carlisle has told you that he didn't need to," Caius said encouragingly.

"He has mentioned that."

"What do you say Edward?" Aro asked.

"Do you swear that you will leave her alone?"

"We never go back on our word," Aro said in a calming tone.

"Fine, I'll do it," he said in defeat.

"Excellent!" Aro said before clapping happily.

"After a few years of service we promise that we will let you go," Caius said.

"How long before I would be set free?" Edward asked.

"Ten years," Caius answered.

It was more than a few years, but at least it wouldn't be forever. His family would understand. He hoped that Bella would appreciate what he had done. He knew without a doubt that she would. Ten years to a vampire was like a year to a human. You lost all track of time. And by the time that the ten years were over she will have moved on, but he would never forget her.

XXXX

Bella woke feeling warmth surround her from all around. She opened her eyes to see Jacob sleeping next to her. His free arm was draped over her and she was laying flush against him. She watched his chest move in and out in sleep. She smiled before pulling one of her arms from in between them. She traced the contours of his face slowly, not wanting to wake him.

He stirred finally as she brushed her lips to his. He opened his eyes slowly before giving her a sleepy smile. She smiled back before laying her head on his chest.

"How long have you been up?"

"A minute or two, I didn't hear you come in."

"I have stealth like prowess. Plus, you're beautiful when you sleep. I didn't want to wake you."

"You're sweet," she said kissing his chest.

"I'm honest is what I am," he said with a chuckle.

Her cell phone rang and she reached behind her to grab it. The yelling started as soon as she said hello. She held it away from her ear until the yelling ceased. Jacob looked on in concern.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Alice said brightly.

"She's not worth it!" Rosalie seethed in the background.

"What's going on?"

"Something has happened," Alice said.

"Did Edward go to the Volturi again?" Bella asked in concern.

"Yes."

"They didn't kill him, did they?"

"No, he's alive."

"Thank God."

"He's traded ten years of servitude for your life."

"He works for them?" Bella asked in a panicked voice.

"It was the only way that they would leave you alone."

"Let me talk to her," Someone said in the background.

"If you talk to her I am filing for divorce Emmett Dale Macarthy Cullen!"

"Jasper, I need your help here," Emmett said.

"I'm on it," Jasper said.

"Emmett?"

"I'm here; I had to handle her first. None of us want you to feel like this is your fault."

"Do not speak for me," Rosalie said in a strained tone.

"Okay, everyone except Rose thinks that Edward was rash, and that he should have talked to us first."

"None of you knew that he was planning this?"

"He had been keeping to himself since you broke up with him."

"Alice didn't see it?"

"It was a spur of the moment decision."

"Let everyone know that I am sorry."

"I thought that we had already established that this isn't your fault."

"He wouldn't have done this if it weren't for me."

They talked for a few more minutes before she hung up.

"He's always been overdramatic," she said with a sigh.

"I would have done the same thing if I were him."

"You would?"

"I would do anything to ensure your safety," he said as he pulled her to him.

"You did risk your life for me once," she said with a nod.

"Three times, remember that I saved you from Paul and from drowning?"

"I'd rather forget the day that I jumped off a cliff," she murmured.

"It's in the past. Nothing like that will ever happen again. I won't let it," he said as he held her tighter.

"Don't you have to run patrol with Sam this morning?"

He grabbed her phone from in between them to check the time. He had another twenty minutes before he had to meet Sam. He could stay with her for another fifteen. He didn't want to leave her. The elders already said that he had grown too attached to her too soon. He didn't care, the only three people's opinions he cared about were Bella, Embry, and Quil's. So far neither of his best friends had had a bad thing to say about her. They both considered Bella their friend; they had since they met her. Hopefully that would never change.

XXXX

Jacob and Sam walked along the beach in silence. Sam was quiet and Jacob was content to leave him to his thoughts.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Sam asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?"

"With Bella, do you know what you're doing?"

"It's the first time that I've ever been in love. So I'm learning as I go."

"What if something happens?"

"Not you too, I get enough of this from my dad, Quil Sr. and Sue."

"Speaking as someone who has been where you are, I think that you are making a massive mistake."

"You and I are nothing alike," Jacob said as he shook his head.

"You're right, we're not. You know what can happen. I had no clue. No one explained it to me until it happened."

"You think that makes you better than me?"

"I didn't say that. What are you going to do once it happens?"

"If it happens," Jacob pointed out.

"What are you going to do if it happens?"

"I haven't thought of that yet."

"Maybe you should. I know that you don't want to hurt Bella, but if you're not careful that is exactly what you are going to do. Could you live with yourself if that happened?"

"No, I couldn't."

"I'm not saying that you should break up with her because I see how happy she makes you. Just talk to her about it. She knows that it might happen. Let her know how much you love her, and that you wouldn't intentionally hurt her."

"Is that what you would have done with Leah?"

"If I could go back in time there are a lot of things that I would have done different."

"Thank you for being honest with me. I'm sorry for snapping at you. You were trying to help."

"I understand, and you're welcome. I don't know Bella very well, but she seems like she's got a good head on her shoulders."

"She's smart, and sarcastic, and caring...she's amazing."

"Yep, you've got it bad," Sam said giving him shove.

"Don't I know it," Jacob mumbled.

Jacob knew that Sam was right. Very few things scared him, imprinting was one of them. He had been heartbroken when Bella had turned out not to be his imprint. He prayed to God that he didn't imprint. He knew that it would be an unanswered prayer. There had never been an alpha that hadn't imprinted in the entire history of his tribe. Even if he had turned it down, he had been born with the title of alpha. He would just have to live with it.


	3. All Joking Aside

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Charlie was washing the cruiser when Bella came home from work. Luckily, Mr. Newton had given her the job back when she came in not long after things ended with Edward. With Mike gone things were quiet around the store, she got more work done. She was walking past her dad when he called her name.

"Jake called a little while ago. He wanted me to tell you that he can't come over tonight, he's sick."

"Okay."

"You two are friends again?"

"We're more than friends."

"Define more than friends." Charlie inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

"Let's just say that he caught his cold from me. That's how much more," she said as she stood next to him.

"You two haven't…"

"Dad, why are we having this conversation…again?"

"I wouldn't mind since its Jake."

"No Dad, we aren't having sex. There's been some heavy petting while we make out, but ninety percent of the time we keep it over the clothes," she said, knowing what it would do to him.

He glowered at her before setting down his wrench.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Nearly a month," she admitted, looking down at her hands.

"You didn't wait long after Edward, did you?"

"Would you rather that I sink back into depression?"

"No. Just tell him that if I see him going below the belt I'll break his hands."

"I don't wear a belt Dad," she said with a teasing smile.

"You know what I mean," he said rolling his eyes.

"I'll tell him."

She went inside and started dinner. The chicken was almost done and she was draining the potatoes when he came in.

"I meant to tell you that Sue and Seth are coming over for dinner."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at the food.

"I can make more."

"That's enough."

"Seth's a growing boy dad. I'll make some more chicken. We're out of potatoes; let me see if we have any instant."

"That kid is small, he's not going to eat that much," he said with a scoff.

"I've seen him eat, have you?"

"Not recently."

"He will eat over half of this," she said adding potato flakes to the potatoes.

Charlie looked at her unsurely as she added more corn to the pot and opened another can of biscuits. He shook his head before walking away. Bella finally slowed down once the biscuits were in the oven. She had been able to thaw out the chicken easily enough and it was now frying in the pan.

Sue and Seth came in just as everything was done. Sue went to talk to Charlie but Seth came into the kitchen.

"Remember what we talked about Seth," Sue called.

"Yes ma'am."

"I made plenty. Eat as much as you want."

"I ate before I came over. But I'm still hungry."

"Make you a plate," she said handing him one.

"This looks great Bells," he said as he forked a drumstick then a thigh.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Whatever you have is fine."

She placed a can of Coke in front of him before walking away.

"Let me know if you need anything," she called over her shoulder.

"I will," he said with a mouthful of food.

She walked into the living room to see her dad and Sue sitting close together on the couch. That was the way that she and Edward would sit. She usually sat in Jacob's lap whenever she could. She still craved close contact, just in a different way.

"You aren't eating?" Sue asked.

"I'm gonna let him eat first. We can have what's left."

"That's how it happens at home. The kids eat first then I eat whatever they haven't."

"The way you two are talking I'm afraid he's going to eat me out of house and home," Charlie laughed.

"That's nothing to joke about," Sue said.

"Is there something going on between you two?"

"You haven't told her?" Sue asked.

"It seems you weren't the only one hiding a relationship."

"It runs in the family?" Sue asked looking between the two of them.

"You gave me grief about Jacob. Why didn't you tell me then?"

"The timing was off. I didn't want to scare you."

"I'm not easily scared, you know that."

"It's still new. We've only been together a week."

"Have you gone out on a date yet?"

"No." They both said at the same time.

"Why not go out to dinner? Do not take her to the diner," she said giving her dad a pointed look.

"I'd have to take Seth home. I can be back in an hour," Sue said before standing.

"He can stay here. Jake left his X-Box here when he came over with Billy the other night."

"Where is it?" Seth asked.

"My room, upstairs, it's at the end of the hall."

"You're not going to see him for the rest of the night," Sue said.

"What are the two of you still doing here? Go."

They were gone five minutes later. The sounds of zombies being killed floated downstairs while Bella heated up a plate of food. She had been right when she said that she needed to make more. Seth had eaten over half of it.

She was washing her plate when her phone rang. She ran back into the living room to grab it from off the coffee table.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

"You sound like crap."

"And you sound better."

"I feel better.

"I'll feel better before I go on patrol."

"What did you do today?"

"Not much. Embry came over. I got him sick so he's staying here tonight."

"Hey Bells," Embry said in the background.

"Now I feel bad. Both of you are sick because of me."

"You can make up for it by coming over tomorrow."

"That would only benefit you," Embry said from closer than the last time.

"I'll come over tomorrow. Make sure he's there."

"Why does he have to be here?"

There was an audible smack then a groan.

"He punched me in the nose!"

"Did he break it?" she asked pointedly.

"No," he said with a huff.

"Then you got lucky," she reprimanded.

"It still hurts," he grumbled.

"Don't be so selfish then. He's my friend and I want to see him."

"Fine, Embry, Bella wants you here tomorrow."

"Thank you," he said.

Bella laughed as they joked back and forth. She got off the phone with them half an hour later to hear Seth coming down the stairs.

"Is there any chicken left?"

"There are a couple of pieces. Knock yourself out."

"Thanks."

"Not a problem."

The rest of the night passed quickly. Her dad and Sue came back around ten and Sue and Seth left a few minutes later. Bella was getting ready for bed when Charlie came to stand at her door. She smiled before telling him goodnight. The light was out in his room a minute later. She got into bed then texted Jacob to tell him goodnight. She was asleep a few minutes later.

XXXX

Embry was pulling up at the same time Bella was the next afternoon. They walked quietly side by side up the stairs, he opened the door but let her go in first. Once inside he went in search of something to drink while she went looking for Jacob.

She found him asleep and sat on the edge of the bed. She ran a hand down his back slowly but he didn't move. She brushed her lips over his cheek, chin, and finally as she was about to kiss the corner of his mouth he stirred.

She kissed him lightly as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She pulled away before he could take advantage of the situation.

"Easy Tiger, Embry's here. I don't think he wants to walk in on us."

"You're right, I don't," Embry said from the other room.

"Did you bring my X-Box?"

"You mean the one that our dads were playing when I left?"

"That's the one. Baseball?" he questioned.

"No, they were playing hockey. Your dad said that he would bring it home with him."

"You can come back here Embry," Jacob offered.

"I'm watching a movie."

"Come on, out of bed," Bella encouraged him.

They were in the living room when someone knocked on the door two hours later.

"It's open!" Jacob called.

Jared came into the room a few seconds later. He took one look at them and shook his head.

"No wonder you didn't want to get up," he mumbled.

Bella's head lay in Jacob's lap while her feet rested in Embry's.

"You've got both of them under your spell now?"

"It didn't take very long. It was pretty easy," she said with a lazy shrug.

Jared laughed before sitting in the recliner.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"How do you feel about polygamy?"

"Why?"

"I just might ask you to marry me one day."

"You'd better be kidding," Jacob warned.

"What if we aren't?" Bella asked.

"Then I guess I'd better work fast."

"Looks like it," Bella countered.

Embry and Jared laughed at the exchange before Embry said that he needed to leave. Jared stood to take his spot and Bella put her feet in his lap.

"Keep your hands to yourself," Jacob warned.

"What if I can't help myself?" Bella asked.

"Keep her around, she's funny," Jared laughed.

"I told you."

"You should have given the vampire the heave ho sooner."

"I'm not with him now. Don't hold it over my head. Give me my feet back," she said pulling them out of Jared's lap.

She was in Jacob's lap with her head on his shoulder moments later.

"So it's like that?"

"Don't worry, I'll still marry you."

"That's what matters. I'm gonna go. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do," he said as he shoved Jacob's shoulder.

Silence filled the house once the door shut behind Jared. Jacob knew that he needed to talk to her about things. How do you bring this kind of thing up?

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We need to talk."

"We do? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You know that I will eventually imprint."

"Because you were born to be alpha of the pack?" she asked cautiously.

"Right," he said with a nod.

"I know that it will happen. I've accepted it. Can we not talk about it now? Things are going so good for us."

"When would you rather talk about it?"

"When it happens," she said lightly.

"We need to talk about it so that when it happens we'll be ready."

"I don't want to plan it out. When it happens there won't be anything we can do," she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes there is!" he said in a strained voice.

"What would you do?" she asked in a scared voice.

"I would ignore it."

"You would ignore it? Isn't there a law against that?" she reasoned.

"I don't care, if I can't be with you than nothing else matters," he said stubbornly.

"You'll feel the same way about someone else. You would walk away from them?"

"Yes."

"Stop and listen to what you are saying. You aren't making sense," she said with a shake of her head.

"I told you that I would do anything for you."

"Well I never asked you to promise me that. If you want to promise something then promise me that when you imprint you won't do something that you'll regret later," she pleaded, her voice thick with sorrow.

"I won't regret it later."

"Yes you will. You won't carry on the wolf gene with me. I know how important that is to you because it's important to your dad."

"Leave him out of this," he warned.

"No I'm not. Do you want to let him down, what about the pack Jake?"

"Damn it Bells; I'm doing this for us."

"I don't want you to. Promise me that you won't," she pleaded once more.

"No," he said, his lips forming a tight line.

"Fine," she said before climbing off of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"You won't listen to me, so I'm calling someone that you will listen to."

His dad was home twenty minutes later. Sam was walking through the yard while Bella was helping Billy out of the truck.

"I've got him," Sam said.

"Go home Bells. Sam and I will handle Jake."

"Okay," she said quietly.

She was at her truck when Billy called her name. She turned to face him with tears pricking her eyes.

"You did the right thing. I'll make him see that you're right."

"Thank you," she said with a feeble smile.

She got in the truck watching the two men go up the ramp. She knew that Jacob wasn't going to like that his dad had called Sam, but she was glad that he had. Jacob needed a dose of reality; he was acting like a spoiled child. Bella had never seen him like that before.


	4. Don't Hold Back

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Angela was home from school the weekend of Bella's birthday. She had come into Newton's and invited Bella out but Bella hadn't wanted to go. She hadn't talked to Jacob since their fight nearly two weeks ago. She had cried for nearly an hour once she got home. She had never let a guy get to her like that and it wasn't going to happen again. She felt like crying was even worse than slipping into depression. It was a sign of weakness.

Her dad had surprised her by promising her a new car once Clementine finally broke down. It would be a belated present that she more than likely wouldn't have to wait very long for. The truck had been acting strange for weeks.

Her dad was already gone when she came home from work that afternoon. She listened to the messages on the answering machine as she made herself a sandwich. Her mom had called to wish her a happy birthday, the next was from someone who didn't say anything, but they stayed on the line for a good ten seconds before hanging up. Something told her that it wasn't Jacob. He had always been up front and knew what to say. Her cell phone rang just as she was about to take a bite of her sandwich.

"Hello?"

"Hey," Embry said.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"Not much. I heard today's your birthday."

"Please don't wish me happy birthday. I've had like twenty people do it already," she pleaded with a groan.

"You don't like celebrating your birthday?"

"No, I just don't like people making a big deal out of it."

"But that's what birthdays are for," he said with a laugh.

"I had a bad birthday last year. I'd rather not go through it again."

"You went missing the next day, didn't you?"

"Yeah," she admitted with a muted sigh.

"Not all of your birthdays are gonna be like that."

"I know, just the ones that I can control won't."

Someone knocked on the door and she looked out the window to see Jacob.

"Did you know that Jacob was coming here?"

"He asked me to distract you," he said sounding guilty.

"I don't know if I should be mad or feel violated," she grumbled.

"Be happy, and hey?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Happy birthday," he said quickly.

He hung up before she could correct him. Bella opened the door as Jacob raised his hand to knock again. She leaned against the door, not able to look at him.

"You were right. I shouldn't have put you through that."

"And?" she said, giving him a defiant look.

"I don't want to fight with you," he said in a strained voice.

"I don't want to fight with you either."

"Can I come in?"

She stepped away, opening the door wider. He walked in, shutting the door behind him. She stood in front of him with her arms folded over her chest.

"You still haven't said what I want to hear," she said quietly.

"I'm sorry."

"You almost gave me a heart attack! Don't you ever do that again, do you understand?" she asked, poking him in the chest to emphasize her point.

"I understand."

He pulled her to him crushing her arms between them. She lay her head on his chest and let out a heavy sigh. He rested his head on hers.

"You had better not tell me happy birthday," she murmured.

"I won't if you don't want me to."

"Please tell me that you didn't get me anything," she said with a groan.

"I didn't get you anything. You asked me not to."

"Finally, someone listens to me."

"I still don't see what the big deal is. It's the one day that people can show you how much they care about you."

"That's Valentine's Day," she said in smart tone.

"No, Valentine's Day is a guy's worst nightmare. All it does is make us fork out money," he said pointedly.

"As I recall you gave me candy this year. Cheap candy and I was happy," she said, mimicking his tone.

"Would I be able to get away with that this year?"

"No, you'll be my boyfriend. I'd expect a box of chocolates," she said sternly.

"That's not so bad, and Valentine's Day is for lovers. Birthdays are for everybody else."

"You're determined to tell me happy birthday, aren't you?"

"No."

"Did you get me something?" she asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes."

"Jake!" she groaned.

"I didn't spend a lot of money."

"What is it?"

"Come outside. It's in my car."

She let him pull her outside and he made her close her eyes.

"If I have to," she sighed.

"Okay, you can open them."

He was holding a handful of wildflowers. Every color she could think of was represented.

"You got me flowers," she said endearingly.

"I didn't spend any money on you. So you can't be mad at me," he said handing them to her.

"I love them, thank you," she said as she smelled them.

"You're welcome."

She stood in front of him and set the flowers on the top of his car. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist. She leaned up on her tiptoes not waiting for him to meet her. He lifted her so that she bent her legs at the knee.

Her hands fisted in his hair as the kiss deepened. He moaned deep in his throat and it vibrated through her. The kiss grew more urgent as he placed her on the hood. He stood between her legs, putting every emotion that he felt for her behind the kiss.

She pulled away breathless yet smiling. He laughed lightly, obviously spent. She liked knowing that she had done that to him, even if for a minute. Everything that had happened the last time she had seen him was forgotten, never to be brought up again.

XXXX

She didn't know what she was doing here. She knew that Leah wouldn't want to see her. Leah was the leader of the 'Jacob and Bella dating is a bad idea' campaign.

Bella knocked on the door hoping for the best. Sue answered the door immediately opening it wider.

"Is Leah here?"

"Sure, come on in."

"I'll wait out here," Bella said with a shake of her head.

Sue left the door open and Leah appeared a few seconds later.

"I wanted to come over and try to smooth things over with you. We were friends when we were kids. What happened?"

Leah glared at her before slamming the door in her face.

"Good talk," Bella called loud enough for Leah to hear.

The door swung open as Bella walked down the stairs.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Leah demanded.

"Yes."

"I guess you couldn't learn from my mistakes, could you?"

"What?" Bella asked, giving her a credulous look.

"When he imprints you had better not come crying to me. I won't show you any sympathy."

The door slammed shut again making Bella shake her head in frustration. She made her way back to her truck in a haze of red. She didn't see Embry until he was right next to her.

"What's going on?"

"I tried being nice to her and she slammed the door in my face. Twice!" she seethed.

"I wouldn't worry about it. She has a chip on her shoulder."

"We used to be friends."

"People change."

"Whose side are you on?"

"Yours, you shouldn't drive angry, come back to my house until you calm down," he said before walking away.

She followed him through the yard to the house next door.

"I always used to wonder who lived here. You have a hammock and a great view of the ocean. It makes me think of Arizona."

"I've lived here my whole life. If you miss Arizona so much why did you leave?"

"I missed my dad more than I would miss Arizona," she said with a shrug.

He grabbed them each a can of Mountain Dew before heading out back. He held the hammock still while she lay down on it horizontally. He lay next to her before handing her one of the sodas.

They sat in silence watching the sunset. They must not realize that she could see them from her kitchen window. She couldn't understand why someone would choose to start a relationship knowing that it was doomed to fail. She knew that she had no right to hate Bella the way that she did. Every time she thought of Bella thoughts of her own torrid love triangle crept into her mind.

She was just starting to deal with things before she changed. Why was she the exception to the rule? She hadn't asked for it. She wouldn't even be able to have children while she was a member of the pack. She heard laughter from outside and looked to see Embry standing over Bella tickling her. He looked down at her with a smile before sitting next to her again. At least Bella would have a friend to help her through the grieving process. The only person Leah had had was her mom, and even Sue had a hard time understanding where she was coming from.


	5. Losing His Mind

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella lay on the couch while Jacob sat on the floor in front of her. He had his books and a binder spread out around him while Bella read a book. She didn't mind the quiet as much as he did. Just being with him was enough for her.

He shut his binder loudly with a sigh.

"Thank God that's over," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Don't you feel better now that it's done?"

"I guess," he said with a shrug.

"It gives you more time with me. Instead of me having to leave early, I can stay until you go to bed."

"I knew you were smart," he praised her with a lazy smile.

"You got that right," she said running a hand through his hair.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Why did you go to Leah's? You knew what was going to happen."

"Did Embry tell you?" she asked looking hurt.

"What does he have to do with this?"

"How did you find out?"

"Leah gave me a verbal lashing while I was on patrol with her last night. I was ready to kill her until Sam stepped in."

"I'm sorry," she said remorsefully.

"What does Embry have to do with this Bella?"

"He heard what happened. I went over to his house because he wouldn't let me leave angry."

"So he calmed you down?"

"We talked," she said with a nod.

"You couldn't come here?"

"I didn't think about it," she said with a shrug.

"I think it's great that you're friends with him. I just wish that you had come to me."

"He was right there. The next time I have a problem I'll come to you," she promised.

He pulled her up before sitting down. She swung her legs off the couch and propped them on the coffee table. He draped an arm over her shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder. His silence unnerved her. She didn't realize that he would react like this. Embry was her friend, he knew that. Why was he acting this way?

XXXX

Billy had needed Jacob to run him to get a part for his truck so Bella and Jacob's night had been cut short. Bella stopped for gas before leaving the reservation. Someone called her name making her look across to a few pumps over. It was Sue, she waved her over since Bella finished before she did.

"I wanted to apologize for Leah's behavior the other day. It was uncalled for."

"Don't worry about it. It's over and done with."

"Both Sam and Billy have tried to talk to her. I just make things worse. It hurts that she won't talk to me."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too, she was staring to act like her old self and then she joined the pack and it started all over again. She's shut me out completely," she said wiping her eyes.

"It's going to take some time. Jake is still getting used to it," Bella said pulling her in for a hug.

"I know," she sniffled.

"How is Seth handling it?"

"Great. He's such a good kid. I've never been able to say anything bad about him. He's helping me around the house. He helps Jake with Billy. He's a busy kid."

"It sounds like it."

"Thank you so much for listening. I'm under so much stress because of Leah. I worry about her."

"How are things going with you and my dad?"

"Slow. He comes by for dinner a couple of nights a week. But you already knew that."

"Slow is good. You shouldn't rush it."

"I should go. I've got dinner in the car. The kids have probably raided the cabinets and the pantry already."

"I'll see you around."

"Okay Honey."

Bella was on her way home a few minutes later. She hadn't realized how much stress Leah was putting on her mom. Why would someone do that? What was Leah thinking?

XXXX

Jacob sat on the hood of his car at Sam and Emily's. He could hear laughter coming from inside. Embry stood on the porch watching Jacob with curious eyes.

"Are you gonna come in?" Embry asked getting his attention.

"I want to talk to you first."

Embry jumped off the porch and came to sit next to Jacob.

"I wanted to thank you for helping Bella the other day."

"She told you? It wasn't a big deal," Embry said with a shake of his head.

"She didn't give the information freely. I had to ask twice."

"Nothing happened. She needed a friend," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Next time you think she needs a friend send her to me," he said sternly.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. I just don't want her to feel like she can't come to me."

"I promise you, I'm not after your girl," Embry joked, holding up his hands in mock surrender.

"But I am. You better watch your back Black!" Jared called from the house.

"Shut up!" Jacob yelled.

"I'm watching you!" Jared warned.

"That's enough Jared," Sam said firmly.

Jacob and Embry both laughed at the exchange. Embry held out his fist and Jacob bumped it. Embry nodded before standing. He looked over his shoulder to see Jacob still sitting on the hood. He jerked his head towards the house. Jacob stood and followed him into the house.

XXXX

The store was quiet while Bella made a supply list. The bell above the door jingled and she looked up to see Mike standing at the entrance.

"Bella, is that Mike?" Mr. Newton asked.

"Yeah Dad, it's me," Mike answered.

"Come on to the back.

Bella smiled in greeting when he passed her. He waved before walking to the back. She continued working on the computer and printed out the list for Mr. Newton. She would take it back to him once he and Mike were finished.

She was stocking shelves when Mike found her. He stood at the end of the aisle with a smile.

"Do you want some help?"

"Customers aren't allowed to help. You know that," she chided him.

"I know the owner. I'm sure that I could talk them into letting you keep your job," he teased.

"No thanks," she said with a shake of her head.

"I heard that you and Cullen broke up."

"A month and a half ago, I guess."

"What happened?"

"It wasn't working," she said with a shrug.

"I'm in town until Sunday. Do you maybe want to go out to dinner with me?"

The bell sounded again making her stand.

"I can't."

"If it's because you have to work we could go out after."

"No, that's okay."

"Just as friends?" he asked as she walked towards him.

"She said no," A voice said from a few yards away.

"Jake," she said before heaving a sigh of relief.

"Hey," he said draping an arm over her shoulders.

"You remember Mike don't you?"

"Sure. Do you still have a problem watching action movies?"

"Jake," she warned.

"I was sick," Mike said defending himself.

"Mike, you don't have to explain yourself. Will you let your dad know that I am taking a break? I need to deal with him."

"Don't ask her out again," Jacob warned.

"Jacob, let's go."

"I need to go talk to my girlfriend. I'll see you later," Jacob said with a smile.

"Now, Jacob," Bella said from the door.

Outside Bella paced in front of the store while Jacob leaned against his car.

"First Embry, now you think that Mike and I have something going on. What has gotten into you?"

"Embry was a misunderstanding, that guy was coming onto you."

"And I turned him down. Do you realize that I could have gotten fired if his dad had heard you?"

"No," he said in a quiet voice.

"I am so mad at you that I could hit you, but I'm not because I know what will happen."

"Bells," Jacob said reaching for her.

She pulled away from him shaking her head.

"Go home," she said before going inside.

The door slammed shut behind her and she walked down the stairs to the register.

"He's your boyfriend?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"Great guy, I see he hasn't changed," he said flatly.

"Could we not talk about it? Please don't tell your dad, I really need this job."

"I won't tell him."

"Thank you," she said almost inaudibly.

"I'll see you around," he said as he walked up the stairs.

She nodded as she held her head in her hands. She pulled herself together before taking the supply list to Mr. Newton. The rest of her shift passed slowly and when she got home Jacob was waiting for her.

"I thought that I asked you to go home," she said in a clipped voice.

"I'm sorry," he said just above a whisper.

"You seem to be saying that a lot lately."

"I know; I can't help it."

"You can't help what? Getting territorial when another guy so much as talks to me?" she asked in an acid tone.

"I don't want to lose you."

"To Mike, do you remember me telling you that he was just a friend? I know that it was almost a year ago but I know that you haven't forgotten."

"To anyone," he said honestly.

"You won't be the one having to give someone up. I will," she said as she walked away.

"Bella, please," he pleaded.

She sighed before turning to face him.

"Where did this deep seeded fear of abandonment come from Jake?"

"You are the most important person in my life."

"For now," she reminded him.

"Now is all that matters. I don't want to think about the future. It scares the hell out of me."

"Why?"

"Because we won't be together," he said his voice thick with grief.

She walked back to him shaking her head the entire way. Every time they fought the fact that he would eventually imprint was brought up and Bella hated it. It was all she thought about when she wasn't with him. Had it happened? Would he lie to her and see the two of them at once? She didn't want that.

He pulled her to him and placed his head on top of hers. Nothing was said because they didn't want to start another argument. He hated not knowing how much longer he had with her. He lived in fear that every day would be his last with her.


	6. Nothing Like Her

**Disclaimer: **

**Jacob: Donna does not own Twilight. **

**Me: No I do not.**

**J: Could you make me to be any more of a douche bag in this story?**

**M: It won't be like that for much longer, I ****promise.**

Bella and Jacob had settled into an easy rhythm and after nearly two months together things were going great. They hadn't so much as disagreed since the day in her front yard. It had been long forgotten. Her friendship with Embry had grown. Jacob had gotten over the fact that he wasn't the only guy that she wanted to hang out with pretty fast. She had been able to convince him that there was nothing going on between her and Embry.

Bella had the day off and had decided to spend it with Emily. She had called first to see if it was alright to come over and Emily was excited to have company. Emily met her at the door and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad that you decided to come over. Look who's here," she said pulling Bella inside.

Leah sat at the table and stood quickly, knocking her chair over in the process.

"Pick it up Leah; you'll need it to sit in," Emily ordered.

"I can come back," Bella said.

"No, she needs to get her head out of her ass. Have a seat."

"Okay," Bella said unsurely.

"Is there anything that you want to say to Bella Leah?"

"Go to hell," she growled.

"Bella, what do you want to say?"

"While I value your opinion, I think that you're being a bitch."

"This is good. We're getting somewhere. Leah, say something nice."

"You'll find someone, someday," she said with an acid smile.

"So will you and I know that you'll wear the pants in the relationship," Bella said in a mock concerned tone.

"How many times have you fallen in love now?"

"Twice," Bella whispered.

"Twice, that sounds like a flake to me," Leah said with a smug smile.

Bella nodded knowing that it would eventually be brought up.

"At least I'm not bitter," she said as nicely as she could.

"You will be."

"Actually I won't," Bella countered.

"Leah, Bella will have all of our support if she wants it," Emily said calmly.

"Like I did?" Leah asked in disdain.

"You shut everyone out. There's a difference," Emily said shaking her head.

"What's going on?" Jacob asked from the door.

"Bella had nothing to do with this. She didn't know that Leah would be here. I'm helping them work through their problem," Emily said in Bella's defense.

"Can I go now?" Leah asked.

"Go. I've done all I can. Bella, I'm sorry for springing her on you."

"It's okay."

"I wish that I could say the same," Leah spit out.

"I thought that you were leaving," Jacob countered.

"You're in my way," she growled.

Jacob moved out of the way but Leah still shoved him.

"I had it under control Jacob," Emily said.

"I heard. I was afraid that something like this was going to happen."

"I can handle myself. I don't need you to save me," Bella said with a sigh.

"I know," he said reaching for her.

Bella let him pull her to him and he placed his head on top of hers. Emily smiled as she watched them. She hoped that their happiness wasn't short lived.

"You two are welcome to stay for dinner."

"I need to get home. I have to make dinner for my dad."

"He can come here. I would love to meet him."

"I'll call him," Bella said with a smile.

"Good. Jake, you go and get your dad."

Sam came in with Charlie. Emily was at the stove while Bella chopped vegetables for the soup. Emily wiped her hands on a towel that lay on the counter. She kissed Sam lightly and let him pull her in for a hug. He smiled down at her before she looked at Charlie.

"It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Emily," she said pulling away from Sam.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Charlie," he said with a smile.

"Have a seat. Jake went to get Billy."

"Thank you for inviting Bella and I over."

"You're welcome."

Jacob came in with Billy a few minutes later. Charlie, Billy, and Sam talked while Bella helped Emily finish dinner. Jacob sat on the counter next to Bella watching her chop vegetables. She looked up at him with a smile. He smiled back, running a finger down her arm.

Dinner was ready a few minutes later. They all sat down to eat and they talked throughout dinner. Once dinner was done Sam cleaned the kitchen. Jacob asked Bella to take a walk with him.

"Are you okay? You haven't said much," he asked.

"I was just thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

"Something that Leah said."

"You shouldn't listen to her."

"She had a point. If it had been someone that I knew I would thought that they were a flake."

"You're not. People fall in and out of love all the time," he reassured her.

"I know. It's just that…"

"Do you want to know what you are? You're lucky."

"Lucky? Me?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"Not everybody can say that they've fallen in love twice before the age of twenty."

"I'm a fool is what I am. I'm setting myself up for heartbreak."

"I wouldn't hurt you, not on purpose," he said with a sigh.

"I know."

"I don't like that you think so lowly of yourself. We've got to build up your confidence."

"How?" she asked cautiously.

"I can help you. I have confidence to spare," he offered.

"You are a cocky bastard," she teased.

"You had confidence when you were talking to Leah."

"That's because she pissed me off."

"You've got to channel it."

"How do I do that?"

"When someone compliments you, instead of smiling shyly or messing with your hair you could say thank you."

"That's it?"

"For now; let's try it. You're beautiful," he said sincerely.

"No I'm not," she said rolling her eyes.

"That's better. But you need to accept it. Let's try again. I can't imagine my life without you."

She smiled before wrapping her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips gently to his feeling him pull her against him. She pulled away giving him an honest smile.

"Much better," he praised.

"Thank you," she said with an easy smile.

"See? It's that easy. By the way, you are beautiful."

"You're hot."

"Thank you. I hope you don't just mean my body temperature."

"I don't," she said with a shake of her head.

"You get a kiss for that."

He leaned down to kiss her cupping her neck in his hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck with a sigh. There was a noise to their right making him pull away. Seth came out of the trees in just a pair of shorts and tennis shoes.

"Sorry," he said with an impish grin.

"It's cool," Jacob said.

"We should head back. I need to get home."

"We aren't done."

"We'll work on it tomorrow."

They walked back to Sam and Emily's hand in hand. Charlie was already gone when Bella got into her truck. It started on the third try and Jacob leaned in.

"Call me when you get home. I don't like the sound of it."

She nodded before putting the truck in drive. He kissed her quickly before standing upright. She pulled out of the yard with him watching her. She passed Seth on his way home and waved. Embry was working on his car in his front yard and waved as she passed. She waved back before rounding the corner to the main road.

She was home forty five minutes later. She had drove under the speed limit the whole way home. The truck wheezed before backfiring. The engine cut off before she took the key out. Clementine was officially dead. No amount of work would bring her back. The memories experienced in this truck would never be forgotten.

Charlie came out of the house as steam started rising from under the hood. He met her at the front of the truck seconds later.

"At least you made it home. When do you work again?"

"Not until Tuesday."

"You can use my truck. We'll go car shopping this weekend."

The phone ringing from inside kept her from replying.

"Hello?" she said breathlessly.

The other end was silent. She knew that the person was still on the phone. She could hear music in the background. She sighed before moving the phone to the other ear.

"Listen, if you can't say anything than I'm going to hang up."

The phone clicked and she heard the dial tone. She hung up with a sigh.

"Who was it?"

"No one," she said discouragingly.

"They didn't say anything?"

"No."

"Did they hang up as soon as you answered?"

"No."

"Huh. I guess you've got yourself a secret admirer then."

"Maybe," she said with a laugh.

She went upstairs and checked her e-mail before going to bed. She texted Jacob to tell him goodnight and her phone vibrated a minute later.

Did the truck do okay?

It's dead.

R.I.P. Clementine.

We'll make more memories.

I can go with you when you go car shopping if you want.

I'll ask my dad.

She got into bed after sending the last message. What had happened when she came home ran through her head. This was the tenth time that it had happened in two weeks. It had started on her birthday and hadn't happened again until a week later. Had it happened when she wasn't home? She tried not to think about it. If the person called again she would talk to her dad about getting a phone that had Caller ID. It was time that he got out of the stone ages anyway.


	7. Pushed Too Far

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight**

Bella had been surprised when Alice called her. She hadn't talked to any of the Cullen's in over a month. She felt guilty for tearing their family apart. When Alice had mentioned that they were moving to Italy to be closer to Edward Bella felt a little better. She would miss them, but at least they would be close to Edward.

The night before they were supposed to leave Bella stood on their front stoop, waiting to be let in. She hadn't told Jacob, she knew that he wouldn't want her to be there even if it was just to say goodbye. Carlisle opened the door giving her his usual kind smile.

"Hello Bella, it's good to see you," he said as he let her in.

"Thank you for inviting me," she said quietly.

"Hi, Bella," Alice said from behind Carlisle.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

Alice led Bella into the living room where everyone, except Rosalie was gathered.

"She doesn't want to see you," Emmett said when he noticed that Bella was looking for Rosalie.

"Her opinion does not reflect anyone else's, I promise you," Esme said.

Bella nodded before sitting down next to Jasper. He gave her a polite smile before turning his attention to Alice. Alice sat across from them with Emmett and Esme. Carlisle stood in between them.

"We all want you to know that what happened to Edward is not your fault. He took matters into his own hands. He knew that we were trying to come up with something as a family and he chose to ignore us," Carlisle said.

"I wish that I could go back in time and do things differently."

"Like what? Become one of us?" Rosalie asked from another room.

"I wouldn't have started dating Jacob so soon. I didn't give Edward any notice."

"You were selfish," Rosalie spat.

"I've got her," Emmett said as he stood.

Soothing, hushed tones could be heard from the kitchen as Emmett calmed Rosalie down. Rosalie was right, Bella had been selfish. She hadn't given any thought as to how much her decision would hurt Edward.

"Do not feel guilty Bella. You are only human after all," Esme said taking hold of her hands.

"I just wish that I could talk to him one last time."

"You haven't talked to him?" Alice asked with a look of confusion.

"No," Bella said with a shake of her head.

"But-"

"Alice, this isn't your fight," Jasper cautioned.

"Finish what you were going to say," Bella urged.

"He has called you. I've had visions of him doing it. Several of them"

"Have I said anything?"

"You've answered the phone, but I usually close my mind to him. They're his personal memories."

"Someone has been calling my house and not saying anything. I can hear music or voices in the background sometimes, but that's it."

"So he's only calling to hear your voice. Esme and I will talk to him when we see him," Carlisle said reassuringly.

Alice kneeled in front of Bella so that they were on the same level.

"He doesn't blame you for what you did. He's told me so himself."

"He's told me as well," Esme said.

"He only has your safety in mind. Maybe he feels if the Volturi find out that he has contacted you that they will go back on their word," Carlisle said.

The room was quiet as a low howl sounded from close by. Jasper was at the window looking through the curtains.

"Which wolf is grey with brown spots and a white face?"

"Embry," Bella said quietly.

"He's in the yard."

"I'll handle it," she said standing.

Embry was at the bottom of the stairs when Bella stepped onto the stoop.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm saying goodbye to them. They're leaving in the morning."

"For how long?" he questioned.

"It's permanent. They're going to Italy to be closer to Edward. Please don't tell Jacob that I am here."

He gave her a stern look before sighing. She was in front of him seconds later. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her waist rubbing her back in slow circles.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said before letting go of her.

He waited until she had gone back inside before stripping down and phasing again.

_Where were you? _Jared asked.

_I thought I heard something at the Cullen's._

_What was it, t__he flutter of bat wings?_ Jared thought with a snort.

_It was nothing._

He continued through the woods silently. He heard Jared a few miles to his right but he was keeping his thoughts to himself. That was what was so great about Jared. He knew when to shut up when needed. He wasn't always annoying like everyone thought.

XXXX

Jacob checked the sticker on a Nissan Altima while Bella leaned against it. It wasn't brand new, but it wasn't prehistoric either.

"It's got power windows. Those muscles you gained from cranking the window handle aren't gonna be put to use," he teased.

"I'll find another way to keep them."

"It has power steering too."

"That's good," she said with a nod.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

She didn't want to tell him that she missed the Cullen's. They had only been gone a couple of days. She shrugged giving him a halfhearted smile.

"I've got a lot on my mind."

"You can tell me," he said standing in front of her.

"I found out who's been calling me and not saying anything."

"Who is it?"

"Edward."

He nodded, giving her a tight lipped look.

"How did you find out?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"Alice told me."

"When did you talk to her?"

"The other night," she said looking down at her hands.

"Did she come over?"

She shook her head while looking down at the ground.

"Then she called you?"

"No," she said quietly.

"You went over there without even talking to me first?" he accused.

"They left. They're gone now. They went to live in Italy. They wanted to see me one last time."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have gone with you."

"I wanted to go by myself."

"You can't keep things like this from me," he seethed.

"I'm sorry," she said putting a hand on his arm gently.

He shrugged her off before walking back to his car. She watched him pull off before pulling out her phone. She scrolled through her contact list mentally checking off every person on the list until she saw a name that made her pause. She hit send without thinking twice.

"Hello?"

"Hey," she said in a strained voice.

"What's wrong?"

"Jacob and I had a disagreement. He left me at a car lot in Forks."

"He just left you there?" The person asked in disbelief.

"He was pretty mad."

"What did you have a disagreement about?"

"I told him that I went to see the Cullen's."

"Give me directions to where you are."

Half an hour later Embry pulled up. The passenger door opened and Jared moved to get in the back. Bella got in without a word. The car pulled away from the curb as Bella pressed her forehead to the glass.

"Are you okay?" Embry asked.

"Not really. I apologized, and he still left."

"Give him some time. He might be alright by the time we get to his house."

"I'm not going over to his house. He won't want to see me."

"Then you can wait in the car while I chew him out. He never should have left you there," Embry said as he gripped the wheel tighter.

Jacob was in the front yard when Embry pulled up. The car jerked to a halt and he opened his door roughly. He left it open so that Jared could get out then closed it. Jacob watched with anger etched across his face.

"You had no right leaving her there, especially when she was trying to apologize," Embry said as he got in Jacob's face.

"I see that her good friend Embry was there to save the day," Jacob said acidly.

"What the hell has gotten into you? Are you trying to push her away on purpose?" Jared accused.

"Stay out of this," Jacob said shoving him roughly.

"He's right, you've changed. Don't jump his shit for calling you out."

"Did you have to bring her here?"

"I thought that maybe you would have calmed down by now. Obviously I was wrong," he said before turning back to the car.

He shook his head in frustration the whole way back to the car. He slammed the door loudly as he got in.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know. Is he different to you?"

"He's been stressed out lately. I think that the fact that he's going to imprint is getting to him."

"So he's taking it out on you?"

"Every time we fight, at least he didn't come right out and bring it up this time," she said with a ragged sigh.

"Hold on," he said before opening his door again.

He was in front of Jacob again within seconds. Jared gave him an unsure look but he waved him off.

"Go home. I've got this."

"All right," Jared said with a nod.

Embry waited until Jared was gone before saying anything.

"You're punishing her for something that she has no control over."

"What are you talking about?" Jacob bit out.

"She's scared too, can't you see that? You won't be left alone; she will."

"What did she say to you?"

"You're holding your unknown imprint over her head. Can't you see how much that hurts her?"

Jacob looked over Embry's shoulder to his car. He could barely see Bella in the passenger seat. He hadn't realized how much pressure he was putting on her. Maybe their being together was a mistake. He hated that he was hurting her.

"I need to talk to her. Can you stay so that you can give her a ride home?"

"Sure."

Jacob walked to the car and opened Bella's door.

"Can we talk inside?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

She followed him to the house and he stopped by Embry.

"Can you give us some privacy? I'll let you know when we're done."

"I'll take a walk."

Inside Bella sat on the couch while Jacob stood by the fireplace.

"What's going on Jake?"

"We're not friends anymore."

"Yes we are," she said giving him a worried look.

"No we aren't. We're always stressed out. We fight all the time now. We never did that when we were just friends."

"Yes we did! I sprained my wrist punching you in the face. Do you not remember throwing tools in your garage when you found out that I would be a vampire after graduation?"

"That's different."

"How?" she asked pointedly.

"It just is!" he said exasperatedly.

"We can work on it. We're just having a rough spot."

"No we aren't. You're keeping things from me, I almost phased in front of a car lot full of people. This isn't working."

"Do you not love me anymore?"

"I'll always love you, which is why we can't be together. I can't take how much I'm hurting you."

"You're breaking up with me?" she gasped.

"I'm sorry."

"Call Embry, I want to go home," she said with a ragged sigh.

Embry was in the yard thirty seconds later. Bella came out of the house with her head hung down.

"What happened?"

"Can we just go? Please?"

"Tell me what happened."

"He broke up with me because he doesn't me to get hurt."

"Does he still love you?"

"He says he does."

"I don't understand."

"That makes two of us. Please take me home," she said sadly.

He started the car and pulled out of the yard without a word. They were at her house before he spoke again.

"Do you want me to come in?"

"No. I'd rather be alone right now."

"If you need me, you can call me."

"I know."

"Come here," he said pulling her to him.

She sighed into his chest as she felt tears prick her eyes.

"This is crazy. He is the only guy I have ever cried over."

"Maybe that means something."

"Like what?"

"You two will be friends again someday."

"Some very far, very distant day," she said with a watery laugh.

"Don't slip into depression again. Please?"

"I'll try not to," she said with a sniffle.

"You should go inside," he said letting her go.

She walked into the house hearing the phone ring. It was Jacob. She let the machine get it as she pulled something out to make for dinner.

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I won't call again if you don't want me to. Bye," he said over the answering machine.

She slid down the counter to the floor as tears rolled down her face. Her dad came home to find her like that. He picked her up and carried her to her room before shutting the door behind him. She lay in her bed for twenty minutes before pulling herself together. She pulled her phone from her pocket and slid it open.

I'm fine. We're still friends. She sent to Jacob.

Her phone was silent once she came back downstairs to make dinner. Her dad left her alone; he knew exactly what had happened. She didn't want to be angry at Jacob anymore. That's why she had given in so easily. Maybe this time they would make their friendship work. The possibility looked good since Edward was once again out of the picture.


	8. A Father's Retribution

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Billy opened his front door to see a seething Charlie. He knew that this was going to happen. He had warned Jacob when he and Bella started dating that Charlie wouldn't understand.

"Where's Jake?"

"He isn't here."

"His car is in the front yard Billy. I know he's here."

"Let him in Billy," A voice came from inside the house.

Billy opened the door and let Charlie pass him. Jacob's door shut quietly and Charlie moved to walk towards it.

"This isn't a good idea Charlie," Billy said.

"Do you think that I liked finding Bella in a heap on our kitchen floor last night? I had to carry her to her room. Luckily she's stable now."

"I'm sorry that she's upset, but Jake is too."

"Why did he do it?"

"He had his reasons."

"I want to know why he went back on his word. He swore to me that he wouldn't hurt her. He professed his love for her in front of me."

"I know he did."

"I wanna talk to him."

"You can tell me what you need to say. I'll make sure he hears it."

"I don't want to talk to you. I wanna talk to him!" Charlie said raising his voice.

"Chief Swan I think it would be best if you came in here and sat down," The person in the living room said.

Charlie stepped into the room seeing Sam standing by the fireplace.

"Sit down Charlie, this could take a while," Billy said following Charlie into the room.

Sam didn't like telling Charlie the truth. It would just bring added stress and conflict between Bella and her dad. Billy was the one who started the conversation and since he was an elder Sam couldn't question him.

XXXX

Bella got home from work that afternoon to find her dad's cruiser in the driveway. He was supposed to have been at work an hour ago. She found him in the living room when she walked in. The house was dark and silent as she took off her shoes and jacket.

"Bella, come in here," Charlie said as she started to walk up the stairs.

She sat across from him in the darkness. He turned on a lamp, letting her see the concerned look spread across his face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"No, I'm not."

"What's wrong?"

"I'm looking at my daughter and I realize that I know nothing about her," he said gravely.

"Yes, you do," she said with an admonishing laugh.

"Really, then how did I not know that you were engaged to a vampire? Or that you were considering becoming one yourself? How come I didn't know that your latest ex-boyfriend is a werewolf?"

"Who told you?" she asked as her face fell.

"Billy and Sam, they didn't tell me because they wanted to. I was ready to kill Jake and Sam got me to go in the living room and listen to what he and Billy had to say."

"I'm sorry for not telling you," she said in a quiet voice.

"I don't think that I would have believed you if you had."

"What made you believe them?"

"Sam phased for me. That shut me up really fast."

"I was pretty shocked when I saw it for the first time too."

"Why would you even consider becoming a vampire?"

"Edward will be seventeen forever, I was aging and I wanted us to be together."

"What do you think would have happened if you become like him?"

"We would have gotten married, and then moved away."

"And I never would have seen you again."

"I decided against it," she said in defense.

"And then you dived into a relationship with your best friend knowing that it wouldn't work out. Do you think that Jake liked being the rebound guy?"

"It wasn't like that. I have feelings for him," she said shaking her head solemnly.

"That you have confused with love," he pointed out.

"Yes," she said with a sigh.

"Do me a favor. Don't go into another relationship without thinking it through first. Promise me that you'll do that."

"I promise."

Charlie nodded before standing. He pulled her off the couch and into his arms. She had finally voiced her fears. She hadn't loved Jacob, not at all. She thought that she had in the beginning but as she thought longer about it she realized that it was a very strong bond of friendship. Maybe things could have worked themselves out if things had been different, like if there wasn't a chance that he would imprint. It felt like a two hundred pound weight had been lifted off of her chest.

XXXX

The bell rang above the door making her look up. Jacob stood on the stairs looking straight at her. She smiled at him as he walked down the stairs.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I just came by to say hi," he said with an easy smile.

It had been two weeks since they had broken up and this was the first time that she had seen him. All of the stress from when they were together was gone.

"What have you been up to?"

"Not much, Rachel wanted me to invite you and your dad to dinner."

"We're going to Sue's. Sorry."

"That's fine. Maybe you could come by afterwards?"

"I'll see what I can do," she said with a smile.

"I'll see you around," he said before turning to walk away.

The bell sounded again a minute later as she was going over the payroll.

"Did you forget something?"

"No," Embry said with a laugh.

"Why didn't you come in with Jake?"

"He snuck off; he didn't say where he was going."

"Some people can be so rude," she said shaking her head.

He laughed again as he leaned against the counter. She watched him with a smile.

"What have you been up to? I haven't seen you in almost a week," she said.

"I've been trying to find a job. The repair shop I work at is closing."

"We're hiring, let me get you an application."

He filled it out as Mike came to front of the store. He came behind the counter to stand a few feet from Bella and Embry. Once Embry was done Bella said that she would take it back to Mr. Newton.

"Hi," Mike said.

"Hey," Embry said with a tight lipped smile.

"How do you know Bella?"

"We're friends."

"Are you a friend of Jake's?"

"He's my best friend."

"Uh huh," Mike said before grabbing a box from underneath the counter.

"I'm Embry by the way."

"I'm Mike."

Embry nodded, resisting the urge to smile. Jacob had told him all about the night at the movies. The guy was harmless; he would nice as long as Mike was. Bella came back and Mike walked to the back of the store.

"You can go back. Straight down the hall, first door on the left."

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"You're welcome."

Jacob was back in the store five minutes later with Jared and Seth in tow.

"Where is he?"

"He's on a job interview. He shouldn't be much longer."

"So, have you been dreaming about me?" Jared asked.

"Every night, I usually wake up screaming," she said, biting her lip to keep from smiling.

"That good huh?" he asked with a devilish grin.

"Nightmares," she said shaking her head.

"Not funny," he said with a pout.

"Don't worry, I'll still marry you."

"Take that Black!" he said getting in Jacob's face.

Seth and Bella laughed as Jared circled Jacob, taunting him. Embry came to the front of the store and took his spot at the counter.

"So?" Bella asked.

"I start in a few weeks; they won't need me before then."

"Good. You can protect me from the two idiots," she said as she pointed to Jared and Jacob who were now wrestling on the floor

"Tap out!" Jacob said.

"Dream on!" Jared grunted.

"I'll marry you today if you don't."

"Don't tell him that!" Jacob laughed.

"Bella, my dad said that you can go home," Mike said from a few feet away.

"Woohoo, let's go find us a preacher!" Jared said before flipping Jacob over.

Seth was on the floor next to them acting as referee.

"Pin!" he yelled.

"Now that that's over I can go home," Bella said coming from behind the counter.

"It was nice meeting you," Embry said over his shoulder to Mike.

"You too," Mike said.

"See ya Mikey," Jacob called.

"He doesn't like being called that," Bella said as she smacked Jacob in the chest.

"So?" Jacob grunted.

"Go," she said shoving him playfully.

Outside the five friends gathered around Charlie's truck. The guys pleaded with her to come to La Push but she had to get home. She hugged each of them goodbye, saving Jacob for last.

"This wasn't awkward at all," she said in wonder.

"Why would you think that it would be awkward?"

"My dad warned me that it might be."

"He isn't always right."

"Your dad usually is."

"That's why he encouraged me to come and see you."

"Your dad told you to come and see me?"

"He thought that it would be good for me since we are still friends."

"See? He was right again," she said with a smile.

"I'll see you around," he said hugging her.

"Not if I see you first."

"Get your hands off of her! She's mine!" Jared yelled from his SUV.

They both laughed as they let go. Bella got into the truck as he walked to their friends. She started the truck as they passed her. She shook her head with a smile, glad that she had such great friends…even if they were more than a little crazy.


	9. What Just Happened?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. But I do own the OC characters that are introduced in this chapter. **

Thanksgiving at Sue's was nothing like at her mom's. Once Sue, her mom, and Emily found out that Bella had been cooking Thanksgiving dinner since she was thirteen she was regulated to watching the younger cousins, nieces, and nephews with Emily's sister Allison.

Allison like Bella had graduated from high school that year. She was prettier than Emily in a classic, refined kind of way with pin straight raven black hair that fell to the middle of her back. Her nose was small and her mouth was full. She was the opposite of Emily in every way.

Emily and Allison's younger brother Brady was considerably younger than Allison. He was a cute little boy who idolized his older cousin Seth. The little boy was always asking Seth to play catch with him. Seth would politely tell him that he would play with him after dinner every time. Seth and Leah were in charge of cleaning the house. That included cleaning the kitchen after dinner.

Leah had been nice to Bella since she got there, even if she hadn't said anything to her. Sue and Emily must have finally gotten through to her.

"Girls, dinner is ready. Can you help the kids wash their hands?" Sue asked from the door.

"Sure," Bella said.

"Yes ma'am," Allison said.

Inside Allison helped Brady wash his hands while Bella held their niece Tonya in her arms. Emily, Allison and Brady's brother Jason was the only person missing from their family. He had been deployed to Iraq over a month ago. Tonya's older sister Claire, Quil's imprint held on tightly to Bella's leg.

"Okay Claire Bear, you're next," Allison said once Brady was done.

"I want Bella to do it," she said.

"Brady, go get to the table, I can take her," Allison said once she was in the hall.

Bella passed Tonya off before following Claire into the bathroom. She was standing on the stool lathering up her hands when Leah came in to put the cleaning products under the sink.

"Look Leelee, my hands are clean," Claire said holding up her hands.

"Uh huh, I see."

"Let's get you dry," Bella said handing Claire a towel.

"All done!" she said before running out of the bathroom.

Bella followed Leah into the kitchen where everyone was making their plates. Bella got in line behind Emily who had Tonya on her hip.

"Did you have any trouble with the kids?"

"No, they were great. Allison is really nice."

"She's sweet. She didn't say much, did she?"

"Not really."

"She's shy."

Tonya smiled at Bella as she laid her head on Emily's shoulder. Once Bella had made her plate she looked for a place to sit.

"Bella, sit with me!" Claire said happily.

Bella sat across from Leah and Claire's mom who were talking. Bella cut up Claire's turkey while the baby fed herself in the high chair.

"Thank you for watching her today. She obviously likes you," Claire's mother, Natalia said.

"We've met before. She was with Quil when I went to see him a few days ago."

"Yay, Quil!" Claire exclaimed.

"He's her favorite person," Natalia said with a smile.

"I told her if it was okay with you that I would take her to see him later. That way she can see him and she won't be in your hair."

"Would you like to come home with me?" she asked with a laugh.

"Would you like to come with us Allison? Quil is close to our age."

"Sure," she said with a nod and a smile.

"Thank you for including her," Emily whispered as she passed.

Bella smiled in response before she started eating. She caught sight of her dad sitting at the head of the table in between Sue and Seth. She was glad that he was happy. She had never seen him date anyone before. It would take some getting used to.

XXXX

Claire walked in between Bella and Allison holding each of their hands. They talked quietly while Seth and Brady walked ahead of them.

"Swing me," Claire said getting their attention.

They both swung her as high as they could as they walked up the driveway to Quil's. Quil, Embry, and Jared were working on Quil's car in the front yard.

"Hey," Bella said getting their attention.

"Catch me, Quil!" Claire said when she saw him.

She let go of the girl's hands and ran into his arms.

"Hey Claire Bear," he said hugging her.

"It's a good thing we're done," Jared said closing the hood.

"Hey you," Embry said coming to stand next to Bella.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Who's this?" Quil asked looking at Allison.

"Alli," Claire said.

"Allison," she said correcting her.

"This is Embry and Jared, and you've guessed that he's Quil."

"Natalia wasn't kidding when she said that Claire is attached to you."

"Just a little," Quil said with a laugh.

"Where's Jake?" Claire asked.

"Jake?" Allison asked.

"Our best friend and her favorite person to torture," Bella said.

"He's best friends with all four of you?"

"Not me, just them," Jared said with a shake of his head.

"Well I didn't want to be best friends with you either. You keep trying to marry Bella," Jacob said from behind them.

Claire squirmed in Quil's arms and he reluctantly set her down. She took off through the yard towards Jacob.

"She is definitely related to Seth," Bella said as she watched them.

Jacob walked towards them with his head down, holding Claire's tiny hand in his. He slung an arm over Bella's shoulders, pulling her to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she hugged him.

"Allison, this is Jacob. Jake, this is Emily's sister Allison," Bella said once she let go.

He looked up, his eyes focusing on Allison. She wouldn't look up at him, but she smiled shyly in greeting. Her eyes finally met his when she realized that he was still looking at her.

His pulse quickened and the ground fell out from underneath him. His eyes widened in surprise as everything else around him vanished. Quil caught Jared's attention and mouthed the word imprint. Jared nodded in agreement as Quil got Bella and Embry's attention. Quil picked up Claire and carried her into the house. Embry let Bella go in first as Quil set Claire down. Seth came in with Brady when Jared whistled.

"What's going on?" Seth asked.

"We should call Sam," Quil said.

"Are her parents at Sue's?" Jared asked.

"No. She came with Sue's mom," Bella said.

"I'll ask Emily to come with Sam," Quil said as he opened his phone.

"What is going on?" Bella asked.

"Jake imprinted on her," Jared said.

"We should take them back. Come on Bells," Embry said somberly.

The walk back to Sue's was quiet. Bella carried Claire while Brady walked in between Seth and Embry. Bella hadn't expected Jacob's imprinting to hurt this much. She wasn't jealous. She had just expected to have more time with him before this happened. His whole life had changed in a matter of seconds.

XXXX

Jacob, his dad, Sam, Quil, and Jared sat in Quil's living room waiting for Emily to finish talking to Allison. They had been talking in the kitchen for nearly an hour. Emily came to stand in between Sam and Jacob.

"Jake you can go in and talk to her now."

Jacob came into the kitchen to see Allison standing at the counter with her back to him.

"Do you want to sit down?" he asked.

She turned to walk to the table and he pulled out a chair for her. She sat down without looking at him.

"I know that it's a lot to take in. I'll understand if you need some time."

"Emily said that you were supposed to be the alpha of the pack."

"That's right," he said with a nod.

"Why did you decide not to?"

"I'm too young. I don't feel like I'm ready."

"But you would take over one day?"

"Possibly," he answered honestly.

"You seem really nice, but like you said, it's a lot to take in.

"I understand."

"I'll be staying with my grandmother for a while. Here's my number. I'd like to get to know you," she said handing him a piece of paper.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

"You're cute; I was going to give it to you anyway," she said with a shy smile.

Jacob laughed nervously as they both stood. Billy met him at the door. Sam helped Jacob carry Billy down the stairs.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad that it's her. She's a good person. She'll choose to be with you."

"You think so?"

"She's like Emily in that way. They're both hopeless romantics," Sam said with a smile.

Jacob pushed Billy down the road in silence.

"How did Bella take it?"

"I didn't think to ask her. Crap," he groaned.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Billy reassured him.

"What do you think?"

"I'm glad that it's finally happened."

"I thought it was kind of stupid when I first found out that there was one person out there for me. I wanted to choose the person myself," Jacob said with a frustrated huff.

"You wanted it to be Bella," Billy observed.

"Yeah, I would have eventually been able to make her see how right we were for each other," he said morosely.

"And now you don't have to. Allison is the girl for you."

"Do you think it will happen for Embry?"

"When the time is right," Billy said with a nod.

No one knew when it would happen for Embry. Jacob hoped that it would happen soon.

XXXX

Embry and Bella lay in the hammock side by side with their feet hanging over the side. Bella hadn't said anything since they had left Quil's. Embry knew that it was a lot to take in. This happened to him every time someone imprinted. When would it be his turn? Why did innocent people have to get hurt?

"It's okay that you don't want to talk, but from someone who's been through this I want to give you some advice."

"If you are going to tell me that this gets easier I am going to scream," she threatened.

"It doesn't. This is my fourth time seeing it happen. I still don't know what to think about it," he said honestly.

"You want me to be happy even though I'm jealous."

"I always think 'why couldn't it have been me'," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Have you asked anyone why it hasn't happened for you yet?"

"That's something I won't do. You're not supposed to question the elders. They keep saying that I need to be patient," he said, shaking his head.

Bella nodded in understanding as they slowly rocked. The sun had gone down over an hour ago and the moon was casting a watery reflection in front of them.

"Bella, are you out here?" Sue asked.

"Yeah," she called through the darkness.

"Your dad is ready to go home Hon."

"I'll see you later," she said getting up.

"He's going to want you to be happy for him," he reminded her.

"I am. I'm just a little bitter too," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"Learn to hide it."

She nodded before walking through the yard. Her dad was in Sue's yard, waiting for her.

"Where were you?"

"With a friend," she said jerking her thumb towards Embry's house.

"Next door?" he asked in confusion.

"That's where they live," she explained.

The ride home was filled with questions about where she had been and who she had been with. She answered his questions willingly, glad that her mind was taken off of Jacob and Allison. She couldn't run from him forever, but she was going to avoid him while she could; just until the feelings of bitterness and jealousy went away.


	10. His Whole Story

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: This is my take on why Embry never imprinted. I personally think that it's a viable, plausible reason. Then again, I thought of it.**

Embry came in half an hour early on his first day because Mr. Newton said that there was some paperwork that he needed to fill out. Bella had the day off but she had said that she would come in to see him. Mr. Newton showed him where everything was and how to use the computer program the store used before letting him try to ring up a customer.

"It looks like you know what you're doing. You said you hadn't worked in retail before?"

"No sir."

"I need to do inventory, if you need me let me know."

"Yes sir."

The first half of his shift passed slowly. Bella came in at five thirty to see him. Her dad passed the store without looking in.

"Hey," she said as she came up to the counter.

"Hey."

"How has your first day been?"

"Slow. We only had three customers the first two hours that I was here."

"I usually brought my homework when I was in school," she said.

"Mr. Newton doesn't care?"

"As long as you wait on the customers he doesn't care."

"I haven't talked to you in a few days."

"I haven't really wanted to talk to anybody. The transition from losing my best friend is starting to settle in."

"That takes some getting used to. He'll still be your friend though."

"I keep forgetting that you've been through this."

"With two of my closest friends," he said with a tight lipped smile.

"You'll find a new best friend eventually, and so will I," she said putting a hand on his.

"Well if you need a friend I'm available," he said with a crooked smile.

"I know you are," she said with a smile.

The bell above the door jingled as a customer came in. Bella pushed herself away from the counter before waving goodbye. He watched her leave until the person asked for his assistance. Having someone else who knew what he was going through made Jacob and Quil's absence bearable.

XXXX

Embry found a note on the counter when he got home that night. His mom had a date and she wouldn't be home until late. He heated up left over pizza while he started his computer.

A few minutes later he was eating dinner while he checked his e-mail. He had an e-mail from Quil letting him know that he couldn't hang out that weekend. He and Jacob were going to see Claire and Allison on Saturday and they both had to work on Sunday.

His message box popped open and he saw a message from Bella.

Did you survive?

We had a rush just as we were closing, but I made it through.

Do you work tomorrow?

I don't work again until Thursday.

I work on Thursday too.

That's good to know.

Yeah.

Do you have any plans for Saturday?

I have to open the store. I get off at one.

Do you want to do something?

What did you have in mind?

We could go to the beach. It's supposed to be nice.

You go to the beach in December?

We can't go swimming, but I thought that we could hang out.

We could.

They talked for a few more minutes before Embry started his homework. He would know to take it with him to work from now on.

XXXX

Quil Sr. and Billy sat across from Embry at Billy's kitchen table on Wednesday night. Embry didn't know why Billy had asked him to come over, but it couldn't be good. Neither man looked at ease as Embry watched them curiously.

"We know why you haven't imprinted," Billy said.

"You do?" Embry asked with a quizzical look.

"Each member of the pack has a story. They must learn that story before the process can be completed."

"So tell me my story."

"It's not that easy. It has to come from someone who played a key role in the story. Someone who can tell you the whole story," Quil Sr. explained.

"I don't understand."

"Come back Friday," Quil Sr. said.

Embry stood from the table and made his way down the hall. Jacob's door was open, but he was on the phone. He waved Embry in and answered the persons question at the same time.

"I'll see you Saturday," he said before hanging up.

"Allison?" Embry asked.

"Yeah," he said with a nod.

"How's that going?"

"Slow, but its good. We're still getting to know each other. You aren't mad at me for taking Quil away from you on Saturday are you?"

"Nah, I found someone else to hang out with."

"Got a date?"

"Nope, I'm hanging out with Bella. You know her; nice, smart, funny, she used to come around here a lot?"

"I haven't talked to her in a couple of days," Jacob said quietly.

"A week, Jake; she's okay with it, even if it's hard to adjust to."

"I'll call her tomorrow."

"Did you know that every member of the pack has a story?"

"Yeah, you don't know yours?"

"I find out Friday. It's why I haven't imprinted yet."

"I wonder why no one has told it to you yet," Jacob wondered out loud.

"What's your story?"

"That I'm going to be alpha of the pack," he answered with a sigh.

"I guess I'll have to wait a few days then."

"I can be here if you want."

"Ask Quil too."

"What about Bells?"

"She has to work," Embry said shaking his head.

They talked for a few more minutes before Embry left. The prospect of someone knowing something about him that he didn't was more than a little unnerving. What could it be? How would it affect his life? Questions swirled through his mind as he walked home.

XXXX

Embry rode with Jacob to school on Friday so that they could go to his house directly after school. A car they didn't know was parked next to Billy's truck when they got there. Quil was walking from across the street when they got out.

In the house Billy met them in the hall.

"You two can't be here."

"Actually I would feel better if they were here."

"Not today. He'll see you later," Quil Sr. said from the living room.

"Let's go over to my house. Come over when you're done," Quil said pulling Jacob out the door.

"Come in here Embry," Billy said pushing his chair back into the living room.

Embry followed him, seeing Quil Sr. and a man he didn't know standing in the center of the room. Sam sat on the couch sulking and looking like he didn't want to be there. The man looked at Embry, making him look at him. He looked like a polished, grey haired Sam.

"Embry, this is Joshua Uley," Quil Sr. said.

"It's nice to meet you Sir," Embry said with a nod.

"The reason he is here is because he is the start of your story. He is your father," Billy said.

"What?" Embry asked, crestfallen.

"Your mother and I have been friends since we were very young. She had wanted a child for as long as I have known her. She's very particular about the kind of man she dates."

"You slept with my mother while you were married to Sam's mom?"

"I'm not proud of what I did. I didn't find out about you until last week."

"He left my mother out of shame," Sam said in strained voice.

"This is my story? That I'm a bastard?" he spat.

"Your story is that you are destined to be second in command to the pack," Joshua said.

"He's too young," Sam argued.

"It is his destiny. Just like it was yours to be Alpha until Jacob feels that he is ready," Quil Sr. said.

"I think you're ready to handle it Embry," Billy said.

"I think Paul should stay second in command until Embry is at least out of school," Sam said.

"What do you think Embry?" Billy asked.

"Sam's right. I should wait until I'm done with school."

Quil Sr. and Billy left the room as father and sons got to know each other. Embry's mom never talked about his dad. Now he knew why. He had stopped asking about his dad when he was ten because he realized how much it upset her. She should have told him. Had Sam known all along? He hadn't acted surprised when their dad had dropped the bomb.

XXXX

By the end of the day the whole reservation knew that Joshua was there. His mom had come clean and gave him every answer he wanted, apologizing repeatedly for keeping it from him. Jacob and Quil had been just as shocked as he had been. Bella had listened as he told her what had happened. She had offered little feedback, but that was what he had needed. She let him vent and once he was done he had felt better.

Jacob and Quil lay on the floor on either side of his bed. They hadn't had a sleep over in years. He was glad that they were there for him when he needed them. At least some of the loyalty to their friendship was still intact.


	11. Count On Me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I also do not own the song that this chapter is named after. Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer and Count on Me belongs to the latest addition to my list of favorite artists, Bruno Mars.**

Embry was up before the sun on Saturday morning. Something told him that today was going to be completely different than yesterday. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. Jacob's snoring let him know that he and Quil were still there. He heard his mom up and walking around so he decided to get up.

He stepped over Jacob while pulling a shirt over his head. His mom was in the kitchen when he came in. She had her back to him pouring herself a cup of coffee as he crossed the room. He grabbed a coffee cup as she held out the coffeepot.

"Are the boys still sleeping?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am."

"I know that you are mad at me. You have every right to be."

"You tore his family apart. He left because of it. He didn't even know about me until a few days ago mom," Embry said as he put the pot back on the coffee maker.

"You aren't the only one who got hurt here, Sam was too. I lost my best friend."

"Why not use a sperm donor if you wanted a kid that bad?"

"Because I had specific things that I wanted," she said giving him an even look.

"Like what?"

"You needed to look like me, but have his heart and tenacity. I wanted you to be exactly like him."

"You want me to have an affair, leave my family, only to find out that you have a grandchild that you didn't know about? No thanks."

"Of course I don't want you to do that."

"Did you love him?"

"Yes, I did. I wouldn't change anything, not for anything in the whole world. He gave me you," she said putting a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed, knowing that she hadn't intentionally hurt him. She didn't even regret what she had done. He pulled her to him as sobs racked through her.

"I don't like hurting you. This is killing me Emmy," she said in between sobs.

He rubbed her back whispering soothing words into her ear. She calmed down after a few minutes.

"So, did I turn out the way you wanted?"

"You are everything that I wanted and more my boy," she said wiping her eyes.

Jacob came into the room once Embry broke the embrace. Quil came in after him rubbing his eyes.

"We're gonna go," Jacob said.

Embry nodded with a wave.

"Tell Bella I said hey," Quil said before following Jacob out the door.

"Who is Bella?" His mom asked with her hands on her hips.

"She's a friend. She helped me get my job. She works there too."

"How did you meet her?"

"I met her through Jake."

"Bring her by. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine, you know that."

"Maybe tonight," he offered.

"Invite her to dinner."

He nodded before walking out the front door. There had to be something to occupy his time before he had to meet Bella.

XXXX

Bella was bundled up in a sweatshirt, a heavy jacket, and a wool hat. Once her Nissan Altima warmed up she pulled away from the store. The car had been an early Christmas present from Charlie. She planned to go straight to La Push once she grabbed something to eat for her and Embry.

Half an hour later she was walking along the beach. The wind made it even colder. Embry was at the other end of the beach building a fire. All he had one was a sweatshirt and jeans. Even werewolves got cold she guessed. He hadn't noticed her as she stopped behind him.

"Hey," she said getting his attention.

"Hey," he called over his shoulder.

"I brought coffee and donuts."

"Thanks," he said as he stood.

He turned, taking the bag from her. He sat it by the nearest log before finally looking at her. His heart stopped for a millisecond before starting again. His breath hitched as he felt everything fall out from underneath him.

"Embry, are you okay?" Bella asked breaking through his thoughts.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. All he saw was her.

"Did you just imprint on me?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yes," he said quietly.

"You could be more excited about it," she said laughing nervously.

"Sorry, I am. It's still sinking in. You felt it?"

"Aren't I supposed to feel a pull towards you?"

He nodded as he ran a hand through his hair. He was holding his excitement back. He knew that she wasn't ready to be in a relationship. She had been someone's girlfriend for nearly a year and a half. She wanted to be single for a while. She had told him that less than a week ago.

He was pulled from his thoughts again when she put a hand on his; heat hotter than he had ever known spread through his body. He stared down at her hand with wide eyes.

"Is my hand on yours making you uncomfortable? I thought that you were supposed to like it," she said, her face a mask of concern.

"I do. I wasn't expecting my body's reaction to it. Nobody explained that," he said shaking his head.

"I guess it's something that you needed to experience for yourself," she observed.

"I don't expect you to do anything that you don't want to."

"Well, you're the first guy to ever tell me that," she said as she laughed nervously again.

"It's just that I know that you don't want a boyfriend right now much less be an imprint."

"You're right, I don't. That doesn't mean that I'm going to push you away."

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

They sat down in front of the fire with Bella as close to him as she could get. Pretty soon she was sweating and was able to shed her jacket. She pulled off her hat and sat it on top of her jacket.

"I forgot that you're built like a sauna," she said shyly.

"It's not that bad, is it?"

"No," she said shaking her head.

She got closer, putting her head on his shoulder. He draped an arm over her shoulders so that she could move closer. She may not be ready for a relationship with him, but she trusted him enough to know that he wouldn't hurt her. Being his imprint would be an easy adjustment. Now they had to tell Jacob, which scared the living daylights out of her.


	12. Honesty, for Once

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella didn't work with Embry again until Wednesday. They had seen each other every day since Saturday even if only for an hour.

She was stocking the shelves at the front of the store when he came in. The bell rang startling her and she fell off the ladder. Embry was underneath her before she was half way down. He caught her with ease and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I should have just waited for you to get here."

"I'll finish it. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said shakily.

"I don't want to put you down," he said with a laugh.

"It would be kind of hard for us to work like this. Someone could complain to Mr. Newton."

"We wouldn't want that," he said shaking his head in dismay.

Bella shook her head, her facial features mimicking his. He set her down but didn't let go of her.

"Thank you," she said staring up at him.

"You're welcome," he said before leaning down.

The bell above the door jingled and Bella turned to see Jacob standing on the stairs. He was staring at them with a hurt expression. He shook his head before turning to walk out the door.

"One of us should go after him," Bella said.

Embry sighed before letting go of her. He walked out the door and ran towards Jacob who was getting in his car.

"Jake, wait a minute."

"What?" he spat.

"It's not what you think," Embry said, trying to rationalize with him.

"So you weren't about to kiss her?"

"Okay so it is what you think, but you don't know the whole story," he explained.

"What story? That one of my best friends is putting the moves on my ex-girlfriend?"

"You dumped her," Embry reminded him pointedly.

"That doesn't make it okay," Jacob said pulling his arm back.

"Jake, don't!" Bella cautioned from the door of the store

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you don't understand," Bella said walking up to him.

"Understand what?" he asked, giving her a venomous look.

"I'm his imprint," she said loud enough for only the three of them to hear.

"Since when?" he asked, the hurt look from the store was back.

"Saturday," Embry confirmed, raking his hands through his hair nervously.

Jacob shook his head before getting into his car. He burned rubber as he pulled away. Bella turned to Embry with a hurt look of her own. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I shouldn't have tried to kiss you," he said apologetically.

"I would have stopped you," she stated.

"I won't do it again. Not until you're ready."

"Thank you."

"What are we going to do about Jake? He was in love with you for nine months."

"I don't know," she said with a sigh.

He walked her back to the store without a word. They worked silently for their entire shift. Embry waited for her while she locked up the store. They walked to her car hand in hand. She unlocked the car but didn't get in.

"Do you want to come over to my house for dinner?"

"That sounds great," he said with a wide smile.

"You get to meet my dad finally."

"Your dad; is he a big guy?" he asked cautiously.

"He's a little shorter than you and he's skinny."

"Just checking," he said with a nod.

"He does own a shot gun, and did I mention that he's the Chief of Police?" she teased.

"Are you serious?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Mm hmm," she said with a nod.

"I'm gonna need a bullet proof vest. That way he won't notice that he can't hurt me," he groaned.

Bella laughed before getting in her car. Embry followed her and she saw Charlie's cruiser outside. She took hold of Embry's hand again, pulling him up the walkway. She opened the door just a few inches before pausing.

"Hey Dad?" she called.

"Yeah?" he answered from the living room.

"Have you taken your gun off yet?"

"He carries a gun?" Embry asked with wide eyes.

"He's a cop Embry," she said with a light laugh.

"It's off," Charlie answered.

"Where's your shot gun?"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Embry whispered.

"It's above the fireplace where it's supposed to be. What are you doing outside?" he asked pulling the door open wider.

Charlie pushed Bella to the side gently before sizing Embry up. Embry smiled shyly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Dad, this is Embry. I've told you about him."

"He's the kid who lives next door to Sue. That's where I've seen you before."

"I've been doing some work around her house," Embry said with a nod.

"Embry, this is my dad, Charlie."

"It's nice to meet you Sir."

"Call me Charlie; she's the only one who calls me Sir."

Charlie stepped aside to let them in and he went back to the living room to watch the football game that was on TV. Embry followed him while Bella went into the kitchen to start dinner. Their muffled voices could be heard over the pork chops frying in the pan. She let them know that dinner was ready half an hour later.

They talked all through dinner and Embry helped her clean up while her dad went upstairs to get ready for work. Embry left the same time Charlie did, but not before hugging her goodbye. The hug lingered until she kissed him on the cheek. She stood at the door until his car pulled out of the driveway. She fell against the door once she had shut it. He was all she had thought about since Saturday. She hadn't expected that to happen, but she liked it.

XXXX

Allison was waiting on the front porch when Jacob got to her grandmothers. She met him at the car when he got out.

"Now I know something is wrong. You sounded like you were on the verge of a nervous breakdown on the phone," she said, her eyes raking him over with concern.

"Embry imprinted on Bella," he said breathlessly.

"Isn't that a good thing? I know that you're close with them, but shouldn't you want them to be happy?"

"I have to tell you something. I don't want you to get upset."

"Okay."

"I was in love with Bella for nine months before I imprinted on you."

"You were?" she asked as her face fell.

"I was so frustrated when I didn't imprint on her. I couldn't understand why it didn't happen. And then you came along."

"Did anything ever happen with her?"

"We dated for two months."

"Did you break up with her to be with me?" she accused him.

"No. We broke up before I met you. We couldn't handle being in a relationship."

"So, you can't imagine her with someone else? The thought of someone else making her happy bothers you?" she asked evenly.

"Yes," he said quietly.

Allison reared her hand back as far as it would go before slapping him. She held her hand close to her, staring at him with wild eyes.

"I never expected her to be someone's imprint."

"Go," she said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Let me see you hand," he said as he reached for it.

"Don't touch me," she said taking a step back.

"I should have told you sooner. I'm over her, but this hurts like hell."

"Get in your car, and go home Jacob. I'll call you later," she said before turning around to go inside.

He knew that he had no right to be mad at Embry or Bella. Allison was right, he should be happy for them. A part of him was angry because it hadn't been him. He had wanted it for so long that it felt like he had failed. That had changed when he met Allison. All of his regrets had disappeared when he imprinted on her. That should have been what he had told her.

She had every right to be mad at him. He would make it up to her somehow.

XXXX

Bella woke feeling someone watching her. She opened her eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. She sat up when she saw movement by her desk. Her lamp came on seconds later. Jacob stood at the foot of her bed staring down at her.

"You and I need to talk. Get dressed. We're going to Embry's."

"Who do you think you are? You have no right to order me around like that," she said harshly.

"Bella please, I don't want to argue with you. Just do what I asked you to do," he asked in a stressed tone.

"She doesn't need to," Embry said as he climbed through the window.

"Does he do that a lot?" Jacob asked.

"This is the first time," she said.

"What do you want Jake?" Embry asked leaning against the desk.

"I'm going to make this quick because I've had a really long day and I am tired. Does he make you happy?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"And you, you're not going to hurt her?"

"No."

"Great. Good to know, I'll go home now."

They both watched him climb through the window. Bella let out a ragged sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. Embry looked down at his feet with the hands resting on the desk.

"Did you mean what you said?" he asked.

"You make me happy," she said with a smile.

He looked up at her, grinning from ear to ear. She patted the bed in front of her still smiling. He took one of her hands turning it palm up in his. He looked at it, tracing its lines slowly.

"You have a long life line."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"It's very good," he said tracing a line across the center of her palm.

"Can you tell me how many kids I'll have?"

"Four," he said veering off to another jagged line.

"How did you learn to read someone's palm?"

"My grandmother was a psychic. She taught me when I was twelve."

"Your grandmother was a psychic?"

"She liked to think that she was. She didn't practice magic, but she could do tarot and palm readings."

"When did she die?"

"Just before I met you."

"My grandmother died two years ago. We were close too."

Embry nodded before turning her hand over then lacing his fingers through hers. She looked down at their hands in wonder. They were a perfect fit. That had never happened before. With Edward, her hands were wider than his; with Jacob his hands had smothered hers. Embry's hand was a little longer but it fit against hers like a glove.

He let go of her hand before standing. She looked up at him, wishing that he didn't have to leave. He walked to the window and turned before climbing out the window.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled before nodding. He climbed out the window and she shut it behind him. He waved once he was at the bottom of the tree. She waved back, still smiling before getting back into bed. She turned out the lamp with a sigh.

She rolled over onto her back and fluffed up her pillows. She wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep for the rest of the night. She hadn't been planning on dating someone so soon after Jacob. Then Embry had blindsided her. He was a good guy, he was nice, he was smart, he was funny and he was crazy about her. If she wasn't careful, she would let her guard down before she was ready. Would that be a bad thing?


	13. Calling A Truce

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella let Embry pull her up the stairs at Sam and Emily's. She loved coming here. She always left feeling better than when she got there. Emily had a calming effect on people that Bella wished that she had. Embry knocked on the door and a few seconds later Emily opened it.

"Hey. Come on in," she said hugging them both.

"How have you been?" Bella asked.

"Good. A little busy. Embry, Sam is out back with Jake if you want to go out there."

Embry shook his head before moving towards the table.

"Embry, you should go outside. Jake doesn't deserve to have you being mad at him," Bella said as she sat next to him.

He looked at her with unsure eyes.

"It's fine. I'll go out later."

"Okay," he said rising from his chair.

Emily waited until Embry was outside to say something.

"Are they still not getting along?"

"No. I've tried to get them to talk. Ever since Jake freaked out two weeks ago Embry has refused to talk to him. I'm hoping that Sam can set them straight."

"You did the right thing sending him out there. So this started when Embry imprinted on you?"

"A few days after that," Bella confirmed, her teeth worrying her bottom lip.

"Jacob took it really hard," Allison said from behind Bella.

"I didn't realize that you were here," Bella said as she turned in her seat.

"She sneaks up on me all the time. Sit down Alli."

"I didn't talk to him for a week after I found out."

"We didn't realize that he would react the way he did."

"I don't think anyone did. He's doing better now," Allison said.

"You two are okay?"

"We're fine, now that I've finally started talking to him again. He called twice a day every day," she said with a shaky laugh.

"No one can ever say that he isn't persistent," Bella said.

"He's sweet, and he's funny, he's caring, even if he is brash and unapologetic at times."

"He's always acted first and asked questions later."

"I'm learning that. I'm glad that you're here. I have some questions for you since you're his only ex-girlfriend."

"Ask away."

"Did you two fight a lot?"

"More than most couples just starting out should. The first couple of months are supposed to be happy. They weren't for us. We had maybe a couple weeks of happiness before we had our first fight, followed closely by our second because he was jealous. Embry was put in the middle because we were just starting to become friends. Jake acted like a conceited jerk in front of my boss's son while I was at work. Luckily the guy didn't rat me out. He did these things out of fear. He was scared to lose me, scared that he was going to imprint. He wasn't the only one at fault. I hid things from him. I lied to him. I went into the relationship without really thinking it through, which is something that I don't normally do. I had just broken up with someone who I had been engaged to. I didn't even wait a day before I started dating Jake, which was a huge mistake."

"Have you told Jake these things?"

"Yes. That's why we've hardly talked in the two months since we broke up. Things were going good until Embry imprinted on me. Jake is one of the most forgiving people I know. I know he'll eventually forgive us, but it hurts to know that I've hurt my oldest friend."

"He doesn't say much about it. He's pretty good at keeping his thoughts to himself."

"I know, it'll boil over and they'll all come out at once. He's done it with me a couple of times."

"Why?"

"He didn't approve of my fiancée. It's hard to explain. They never got along; I was put in the middle a lot. They were trying to get along but not succeeding when I broke things off."

"How long were you with the guy?"

"A year and a half; he left me for seven months. Jacob fell in love with me in that short amount of time."

"I'm sorry that they weren't able to get along."

"Me too," Bella said with a sigh.

The guys came in and Sam immediately went to Emily. He smeared grease across her chin before running up the stairs.

"Samuel Uley you're gonna pay for that later!" she said playfully.

His laughter could be heard before the shower turned on. Embry put a hand on Bella's shoulder making her look up at him.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Sure."

Once they were outside she took his hand.

"What happened?"

"Sam set us straight," he said as he cracked a smile.

"The three of you eaves dropped on our conversation?"

"It only took us a minute to call a truce. I didn't realize that Jake caused so much trouble between you and Edward."

"He never said anything?"

"No. He didn't like talking about Edward."

"He didn't like talking about him when we were together either."

"He's a part of your past. I can accept that."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

They walked to his house in silence. They lay in the hammock letting the breeze rock them. She felt at ease with him. She hadn't felt that way with a guy in over a year. Things had been good with Edward once he came back; but she was guarded with him because she knew that he was keeping things from her. He tried to control her; he hadn't liked it when she rebelled. With Jacob things were so strained that she couldn't relax. With both situations behind her she was ready to move forward.

XXXX

Jacob sat on his porch because Emily had called and said that Sam needed him and to be outside waiting for him. He saw Allison coming up the road and he smiled. He had been sent outside so that she could find him. He had left not long after Embry and Bella because his dad was sick and since Rachel was working he needed to be there with him.

Allison walked through the yard pushing her hair behind her ear as she looked down at the ground. Jacob stood when she came to stand in front of him. He pulled her to him, engulfing her in a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she smiled up at him.

"How sick is your dad?"

"He has shingles."

"Is that contagious?"

"Only if you touch the sores," he said with a light laugh.

"Do you think he would be up to meeting me?"

"Let me go in and ask him," he said pulling away from her.

"Hold on a second," she said pulling him back.

She leaned up to brush her lips against his. It was brief, and left him wanting more but he wasn't going to press his luck. As far as first kisses went, it was nice. She pulled away, smiling shyly. He smiled broadly as he walked up the stairs.

He came back out a few seconds later. He took her hand and pulled her up the stairs and into the house. It smelled of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant. He led her into the living room and told her that she could sit down. He brought his dad in a minute later.

"Hi Mr. Black," Allison said with a smile.

"Call me Billy," he said with a kind smile.

"I've told him all about you."

"Only good stuff I hope," she said with a nervous laugh.

They talked for three hours before Jacob decided to walk her home. They walked back to Sam and Emily's hand in hand. The front porch light was on but the kitchen was empty. She turned to face him before wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist before leaning down.

The kiss was tender but he didn't want to push her boundaries. Her lips were soft against his as her fingers played with his hair. She pulled away with a content sigh a minute later.

"I'll call you tomorrow," she said before walking up the stairs.

He waited until she was inside before walking back through the yard. He walked home with a smile on his face. When he got home Rachel and Paul were in the living room with Billy. He walked past them still smiling before going into his room.

"What's with him?" Rachel asked.

"He just walked Allison to Sam and Emily's."

"How come you never look like that?" she asked Paul.

"I do, just not in front of other people," Paul said in defense.

"I'll accept that."

Jacob lay on his bed, the fading sunlight made the room glow pink. He hadn't expected Allison to come over, or for his dad to like her as much as he did. The kiss when she had first gotten to the house had taken him by surprise. She had made the first move. His dad had told him to be patient; he was glad that he had listened.

XXXX

Bella was cleaning out her closet when someone knocked on the front door.

"Bells, somebodies here to see you," Charlie called up the stairs.

"Send them up Dad."

"It's Leah."

She hit her shoulder on the door jamb in her haste to get out of the closet. She stood at the top of the stairs a minute later to see Leah staring up at her.

"You can come up," she said before turning to walk back down the hall.

Leah stood just inside her door less than ten seconds later. Bella sat on the bed with her hands in her lap.

"I should have called. I didn't realize that you were busy."

"That can wait."

"Allison came over to my house this morning to talk to my mom. She had some questions about you. My mom told her about what a nice person you were, and that you had been there for her for the past couple of months. That you had been her shoulder to cry on and the person she vented to when things got too difficult for her to handle."

"That's right," Bella said with a nod.

"I didn't realize how much stress I was putting on my mom until today. I wanted to thank you. And I also wanted to apologize for the way that I've been treating you. I haven't been fair to you, and you've been so nice to my mom and Seth, and now Allison."

"You're welcome, and I accept your apology."

"I'm supposed to be on patrol."

"I'll see you later," she said with another nod.

"You could come by with your dad more often."

"I usually go over to Embry's."

"You're his imprint, I forgot," she said with a laugh.

Leah let herself out and Charlie came up as Bella was finishing her closet. He leaned against the doorjamb watching her.

"Did you need something Dad?"

"I was wondering what Leah wanted."

"She wanted to talk."

"She wasn't here very long."

"She was supposed to be on patrol."

Charlie nodded as Bella turned to face him.

"How's Embry doing? He hasn't come over but that one time."

"He's fine. He's been busy with school and work."

"He's still in school?"

"He's a senior, like Jake."

"You two aren't dating are you?"

"No," she said with a laugh.

"That's good, because he could imprint soon, you never know."

"He's already imprinted Dad," she said quietly.

She looked down at her hands, shuffling from side to side.

"Are you his imprint?" Charlie asked.

"I wanted to tell you, but I wasn't sure how you would react. You didn't react so well when you found out about Jake."

"With Jake it was different, you weren't his imprint. Bring him around more often. Jake too, I noticed that he hasn't been coming around."

"He has an imprint of his own."

He nodded again before walking out of the room. Bella got ready for bed once she had shut her door. In bed she thought about what her dad had said. He didn't mind that she was Embry's imprint. That made her think that maybe she was ready to start something with Embry. Her dad's opinion mattered. She was glad that he got along with Embry so well. It would make things a lot easier on her.


	14. Trying Someting New

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

The store was deserted as Bella looked through the front window. After being gone for two weeks she missed Embry. He was supposed to come over after work but she couldn't wait. She opened the door and heard movement at the back of the store.

"Embry?" she called.

"Back aisle," Came his reply.

She met him half way through the store. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight. He held her as tight as he dared, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I missed you," she said into his chest.

"I missed you too," he said into her neck.

"Who's here?"

"Mike."

"That's it?"

"His parents are sick."

"Where is he?"

"He's in his dad's office making an inventory list."

"He didn't give you any trouble?"

"No. He was a little on edge when Jacob came in the other day. Jake told him that we were together."

"Jacob has a big mouth," she said with a frustrated growl.

"That's what I told him."

Bella pulled him to the back of the store so that he could finish what he was doing. She sat on a bucket while he worked. The occasional customer came in and Embry would go up to the front. When he was done he pulled Bella from the bucket then sat down on it. She sat in his lap with an arm draped over his shoulder.

"You know what we could do?" she asked.

"What?"

"Test your pull towards me."

"How?" he asked in confusion.

"You react differently to different things that I do to you. Like this," she said grazing her fingers across the back of his neck, "tell me how that felt."

"Like an electrical charge," he said with a satisfied smile.

She nodded before taking hold of his hand.

"That makes heat spread through my entire body."

"This next one is my favorite because it makes me feel something too," she said kissing his cheek.

"A head rush," he said with a smile.

"Mm hmm," she agreed before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Let me try one."

He pushed her hair away from her neck to kiss behind her ear.

"That's distracting," she giggled.

"I'll remember that for later," he said against her ear.

"One more," she said turning her head towards him.

She pressed her lips to his and he cupped her neck to keep her there. She put her hands on his shoulders to brace herself. His teeth pulled at her bottom lip gently. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue gently caressed hers. Her arms were around his neck and her fingers were in his hair as the kiss deepened.

He pulled away quickly and picked her up from his lap to stand her upright.

"Stand in front of me," he said.

She gave him a concerned look as he busied himself at the shelf. The office door opened and Mike stepped out.

"Hey Bells, I thought I heard you out here."

"I came in to see if I could pick up a shift today," she said over her shoulder.

"Actually that would be great. I'm not feeling well. I think I've got what my parents have."

"Feel better," she said still staring at Embry.

Mike could be heard coughing and wheezing at the register as he clocked out. The bell above the door jingled a minute later.

"That was close," Embry breathed.

"You got excited," she observed.

"That's why you had to stand in front of me."

She laughed lightly before hugging him. She looked up at him with a smile.

"What am I going to do with you?" she said with teasing smile.

"Kiss me again?" he asked with a lazy grin.

She leaned up to brush her lips to his. She pulled away when he tried to wrap his arms around her waist.

"I should go up front. Mike more than likely coughed on every surface up there."

"One more," he said pulling her back.

He leaned down capturing her lips in a dominant kiss. His hands cupped her face as he pleaded for entrance again. She let him in before wrapping her arms around him again. He pulled her flush against him as he slipped his hands into the back pockets of her jeans. She pulled away, her chest heaving.

"This isn't helping things," she said.

"Do you hear me complaining?" he countered.

"Let go of me, unless you have a change of pants."

"Actually I do. There's a pair of track pants in my trunk."

"Control your hormones and let me go," she said pushing him playfully.

He groaned as he let go of her. She gave him a playful look over her shoulder before turning the corner at the end of the aisle. The grin that had been threatening to crack her face open came and she sighed happily. Her mom had given her some advice while she was in Florida. She told her that if she had feelings for Embry that she should act on them. She shouldn't hold back. It was advice that she was going to listen to.

XXXX

After work Embry had talked her into going out to eat with him. They walked across the street to the diner once she had locked up for the night.

They sat at the counter side by side and talked while they waited for their food.

"What did you do in Florida?"

"You mean besides talk to you constantly? I went to the beach, it was windy and cold but Phil made us a fire and we had a cookout on the beach."

"He stole my idea?"

"I liked it better with you," she said endearingly.

"You got some sun."

"My mom took me to a tanning salon. I hated it," she said with a scoff.

"When it warms up you and I are going to the beach."

"It's a deal."

The food came and they didn't talk while they ate. Once they were done they walked through town. He held her close to him to keep her warm since it had started to snow. She laid her head on his shoulder as he kissed her temple.

"Do you have to run patrol tonight?"

"Yeah, I should head home and get some sleep."

"Come and see me?"

He nodded as they stopped at her car. She kissed him lightly before getting into the car. He watched her drive away before getting in his car. On his way home his phone vibrated and he reached to the passenger seat to grab it. It was Quil.

Are you doing anything later?

I have to run patrol tonight.

What about now?

I just got off work. I'm going home to get some sleep.

You got off work an hour and a half ago.

Do I have to explain myself to you?

What did you and Bella do?

We got something to eat.

Go home and get some sleep.

He shut his phone as he turned onto the reservation. He pulled in front of his house minutes later to see Allison and Jacob at Sue's. Jacob waved him over as he got out of his car. Allison huddled close to Jacob in the snow and wind.

"Where have you been?"

"What is this, interrogate Embry day?"

"No," Jacob said with a laugh.

"I went out with Bella after work."

"How's that going? You guys aren't even dating yet."

"We're making progress," Embry said with a nod.

"Don't think that you can't talk to me about her. It's in the past."

"We went out on our first date tonight. I'm going to see her once I'm done patrolling."

"Tell her to come by. Rachel misses her."

Embry nodded as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He walked back to his house once Jacob and Allison had gone inside. In his room he stripped down to his boxers before getting into bed. He was asleep within seconds.

XXXX

Bella had left the window cracked so that Embry could pull it up easier. She had to get the electric blanket from the hall closet and crank it up as high as it would go just to keep warm. She had shut her door so that her dad wouldn't get suspicious.

She heard the window slide up around four. She had drifted in and out of sleep all night waiting for him. She rolled over in bed, turning off the blanket and kicking it off.

"Did I wake you?" he asked as he crossed the room.

"No. I've been awake for a little while," she said scooting over so that he could lay with her.

"You don't need to open the window. I can get it open."

"It sticks when it's cold out. I had to fight to get it open."

"Leave it shut next time. I'll get it," he said lying on his side facing her.

She turned to face him with a smile.

"I talked to Jake."

"What did he say?"

"He's okay with us being together. He didn't even blink when I told him that we had gone out on a date."

"That's good," she said with a nod.

"He said that you should come by his house. Rachel's been missing her little sister."

"I'll go by tomorrow."

He took her hand in his as she closed her eyes. Her lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her. Her deep, even breathing filled the room giving him a chance to let his mind slow down.

Her eyelids fluttered against her cheek as she dreamed. He smiled, glad that he had come over. Even if she was asleep just being with her, knowing that she was safe, put his mind at ease.


	15. Past and Present

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella lay next to Embry in bed facing him. He lay on his back with his arms underneath his head. He had just asked her a loaded question. How had she come to be with Edward? No one, not even Edward's family had ever asked her that.

"I was drawn to him because he played hard to get."

"You're kidding," he said with a laugh.

"That's what I thought he was doing at first. He tried to avoid me, he tried being mean, I wouldn't leave him alone."

"If some girl had done that to me I wouldn't push her away."

"He thirsted for my blood. He wasn't used to someone being so persistant. I had fallen under his spell."

"What spell?"

"Everything about him drew me in. The way he looked, the way he smelled, his voice, I was enraptured by him."

"Was he like that with everyone?"

"All of my girlfriends from school had a crush on him."

"Did you love him right away?"

"No. That happened later."

"How much later?" he questioned.

"In May of my first year here, he had taken me somewhere with his family. We met some nomad vampires. One of them was a tracker, someone who is obsessed with human blood. Once he smells it he will stop at nothing to get it."

"This guy tried to kill you?" he asked in concern.

"He did, he would have succeeded if Edward hadn't killed him first."

"He saved your life. That's when you knew?"

"Have you seen this?" she asked holding up her wrist.

He ran his fingers over the scar on her wrist. It was cold underneath his fingers.

"Where did you get this?"

"James did it. Edward could have let me change into a vampire or let me die, but he sucked the venom out. He did it out of love. He did it because he didn't want my family to live through the pain of losing me."

"That's why he didn't change you?"

"Yes."

"He may not have had a heart, but he had a conscience."

He wrapped his hand around her wrist lightly. No amount of heat would warm it. She put a hand over his with a smile. His eyes met hers, giving her a worried look. If she had chosen Edward than he probably wouldn't have imprinted on her. He didn't give Jacob the credit he deserved. If he hadn't been so damn stubborn Embry wouldn't know what it was like to care for someone the way that he cared for her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just glad that Jake was able to talk you out of marrying Edward."

"My whole life changed that day."

"Thank you Jake," he said with a smile.

"Thanks Jake," she mumbled.

He leaned in, kissing her lightly. He pulled away after a few seconds.

"I have to go home and get ready for work."

"I'll come by after you get off."

"What are you going to do today?"

"I'm going to see Jake."

"Don't forget to thank him," he said with a smile.

"I won't," she promised with a laugh.

"We're going to talk about why Jacob and Edward didn't get along later."

"Joy," she said sarcastically.

"It must be pretty bad. Was it more than you wanting to be a vampire?"

"Yeah," she said with an abrupt, breathless laugh.

"We'll talk later."

She nodded as he rose from the bed before pulling his shirt over his head. She flopped back onto the bed once he was gone. Embry needed to know what had happened between Edward and Jacob. It wouldn't be an easy story to tell.

XXXX

She walked through the yard hearing music from the shed. Jacob's feet hung out from underneath the Rabbit while Quil sat behind the wheel.

"Hey Bells," Quil said getting out of the car.

Jacob was out from beneath the car before she could respond.

"Quil, could he and I talk?"

"Sure. I'll go inside and get something to drink. Do either of you want anything?"

"No thanks," Bella said.

"Water," Jacob said before Quil walked off.

He leaned against the bumper with one foot resting on it.

"Embry has been asking about Edward. I told him up until Phoenix before he had to leave."

"What do I have to do with that?" he asked with a confused expression.

"He wants to know why you and Edward hated each other, other than you were in love with me and that you did not want me to change."

"You can tell him."

"You want me to tell him about what a jerk you were? About me being put in the middle repeatedly?"

"I made some mistakes that I'm not proud of. If I could go back I wouldn't have been so aggressive," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"He needs to know. He'll understand why I chose to stay human too."

"I did have something to do with that," he said with a cocky smile.

"He wanted me to thank you for him. Thank you from me too," she said with a small smile.

"I couldn't let one of my closest friends imprint on a vampire, could I?"

"I would have been a married vampire."

"That would have been even worse," he said with a teasing smile.

She smiled too as Quil came back with a bottled water for Jacob. She sat in the passenger seat of the Rabbit while Quil sat in the driver's seat turning the ignition whenever Jacob would tell him to. Things were far from normal between Bella and Jacob, but today was a step in the right direction.

XXXX

Bella had just gotten home when the phone rang that night. The person didn't say anything which let her know that it was Edward. He hadn't called since before she left to go see her mom.

"Edward, I know that it's you. You don't have to say anything, but I would like to talk to you. If you're willing to listen, press a button."

A quick beep let her know that she could proceed.

"Jacob and I are no longer together. We couldn't handle the pressure. He's imprinted on Sam's fiancée's sister. I've also become someone's imprint. You remember Embry, don't you? You met him at our graduation party. He's a good guy and he treats me well. I'm happier than I have been in a long time. I didn't think anyone but you could make me this happy. Jacob and I are trying to rebuild our friendship. It's a long process; one that I feel is worth going through. I miss you, and your family. I wish that you would say something," she said laughing nervously.

"I'm happy that you've found someone who makes you happy."

"After four months, he speaks," she said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry for calling so much."

"Don't apologize. I don't mind it. But I would like to hear your voice occasionally, as long as you don't get in trouble."

"I am allowed to have contact with whomever I choose," he said stubbornly.

"Good."

"I have to go. I have a meeting in a few minutes."

"I'll talk to you soon."

Bella hung up feeling better. He hadn't mentioned how he was doing but it was just as well. He wouldn't have told her much because he wouldn't want her to worry. It felt good to hear his voice. She had missed him terribly in the past several months. Even if he was on the other side of the world, she wanted to remain friends with him.

XXXX

Embry cupped Bella's face in his hands with a grin spread across his face. She had just told him everything and confessed that no one had ever made her feel the way he did.

"Seriously?" he asked happily.

"Yes. No spells, no trauma, no stress…Why wouldn't I be happy?"

He leaned in kissing her tenderly. She sighed against his lips before wrapping her arms around his neck. She was falling in love with him without any illusions or tricks of the mind. It was like she was falling in love for the first time all over again. She wasn't in love with him yet, but if she wasn't careful it would happen soon.


	16. Very First Valentine's

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight nor do I own the movies 27 Dresses, Million Dollar Baby, Runaway Bride, Steel Magnolias, or Valentine's Day. Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, and the movies belong to their respective studios. But I do own a copy of Valentine's Day on DVD.**

Jacob hated chick flicks. Bella had tried to get him to watch one with her and failed. Yet he was sitting on the floor with Allison lying on the couch above him trying to watch a movie that he couldn't get into. What kind of person was a bride's maid twenty seven times? The girl in the movie was so neurotic it was scary, and her sister was lying to a guy just so he would like her. He would never understand women.

"You can sit up here," Allison said getting his attention.

"I'm fine."

"I want you up here though," she said running her fingers through his hair.

He pushed himself off the floor as she sat up. He sat on the couch and she leaned against him with her legs curled under her. This wasn't so bad. It had been her idea to rent movies and spend Valentine's Day at his house. He hadn't argued. He had let her pick out the movies; he was beginning to regret that idea. Allison laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist before paying attention to the movie again.

Once the movie was over he turned off the TV. She stayed where she was and he looked down at her.

"I know that you didn't like it."

"It wasn't the kind of movie that I usually watch."

"Thank you for not complaining. Most guys would have," she said kissing him lightly.

If that was the thanks he got he would let her watch whatever she wanted. She laid her head on his shoulder once more as he turned the TV back on and cued up the next movie. He was surprised to see that it wasn't a chick flick. It was one of his favorite movies.

"You rented Million Dollar Baby?" he asked with an easy smile.

"I saw it in your room."

He sighed before pulling her closer to him. She laid her head in his lap with her arms still around his waist. He ran his fingers through her hair lazily as the opening credits rolled. This was his idea of a good night, just the two of them. Rachel and Paul were out on a date. Billy was fishing with Seth. It wasn't very often that he had the house to himself.

XXXX

Bella tapped her nails on the counter impatiently waiting for Embry to come in. This was the first year that she would have a boyfriend on Valentine's Day. That was a big deal in a girl's life. He had something planned, but he wouldn't tell her what. She had told him that she didn't expect him to make a big deal out of it.

He wasn't supposed to be there for another twenty minutes, but she figured since it would be just the two of them in the store that he would come in early. A customer came in and her mind was taken off of Embry.

The customer left ten minutes later and she went back behind the counter to watch the door. She never heard the door to the counter open or the sound of someone walking up behind her.

"What are we staring at?"

Bella jumped three feet in the air, and fought the urge to yell in surprise. She turned to see Embry watching her with an amused expression.

"How did you get in?"

"Through the back, I have something that I want to show you," he said jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

He took her by the hand and led her to the back of the store. In the office he had set up candles and two take out boxes from the diner.

"Sit down," he said pulling out a chair for her.

"This is really nice."

He sat down across from her once he had lit the candles.

"This isn't all. We're doing something after work."

"There's more?"

The bell above the door rang and Embry went to help the customer. Bella couldn't believe that he had done this. It was sweet, and totally unexpected. Embry came back into the room a few minutes later. They talked while they ate then went back to the front.

"I have your present in my car," she said.

"I have yours too, but it can wait until later."

Their shift passed quickly and soon he was pulling her to his car. He opened the door for her then ran around to the other side. He pulled away from the store and pointed the car towards Port Angeles.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise," he said as he merged into traffic.

They continued through town towards the bright lights of the city ahead of them. It took him a little while to find a parking place. They stood outside the movie theater a few minutes later.

"What are we seeing?"

"Do I need to repeat myself?" he asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Fine," she said rolling her eyes playfully.

"Go and get us some popcorn and something to drink," he said before handing her some money.

"So I can't find out what we're seeing."

"I knew you would catch on," he said before kissing her lightly.

Five minutes later Embry came inside to find her sitting on a bench.

"They're having a Julia Roberts movie marathon," she said.

"I hadn't noticed," he said with a shrug.

"Really?" she asked with a quizzical look.

"Come on," he said taking her hand.

He led her to the theater and found them seats in the back.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to."

"How much of a pull do you have towards me?" she asked with a laugh.

"I watch this kind of stuff with my mom."

"You're kidding."

"If you're a crier we're leaving right now," he groaned.

"I'm not."

"Good."

"Your mom is a crier?"

"She used my shirt as a tissue when we watched Steel Magnolias."

"That is one of the saddest movies ever. I only cry a little when I watch it."

"It's one of the movies."

"What are the other movies?"

"Runaway Bride and Valentine's Day," he said, looking down at the flier the ticket girl had handed him when he bought the tickets.

Runaway Bride started and Bella pulled up the arm rest so that she could get closer to him.

"Is this okay? I don't want to invade your space."

"You could be in my lap and I wouldn't care."

She looked around the see that the theater was full.

"There are too many people here for me to do that."

"Are there so many people here that I can't kiss you?"

"The world could be watching and I wouldn't care."

He tilted her chin so that he could have better access before capturing her lips. Her lips moved against his slowly. He cupped her neck as he pleaded for entrance. Her tongue massaged his as the movie played in front of them. It was one of her favorite movies. Usually nothing could keep her from watching it. Leave it to Embry to be able to distract her.

XXXX

Bella sat in Embry's car listening to the radio while Embry went to get his present from her car.

"It's not fair that you had to get your own present."

"It's below freezing out there. It smells like it's gonna snow too."

"Open it."

He leaned over to the glove box and handed her a square package.

"We open them on three. One, two, three," he counted slowly.

She opened the paper slowly not wanting to ruin it. She pulled the lid off the box to see a copy of Wuthering Heights.

"I noticed that your copy was a little used."

"I've had it since I was thirteen," she said dejectedly.

Embry looked down at his present with pride. He had mentioned that he liked Kerouac but had never read On the Road. She had gotten him a copy. They had both gotten each other books without even realizing it.

"Thank you. I'm gonna start reading this when I get home."

"You're welcome. My old copy of Wuthering Heights is going in my memory box."

"What's a memory box?"

"I keep Christmas and birthday cards, pictures in a box under my bed. And now my first copy of my favorite book is going in there too."

"Let's get you to your car."

""You're walking me to my car?"

"I'm staying with you until it warms up."

"You're so good to me," she said with a lazy smile.

He cupped her chin, running his thumb over her jaw. She leaned into the touch, closing her eyes with a sigh. He pulled his hand away before opening his door. He was around to her side before she could undo her seat belt. He held her close to him as snow fell around them.

In her car she cranked up the heat as he pulled his jacket then shirt off.

"You just want to see me shirtless."

"That is an added bonus. You're starting to fill out."

"I was wondering when you were going to notice."

"I haven't seen you without a shirt on except at night in weeks."

"That will change once it warms up."

"I just might bump up the thermostat the next time you come over. That way you'll have to shed more than your shirt," she said softly.

He growled deep in his throat before leaning over the middle compartment. He crushed his lips to hers in a bruising kiss. She held his face in her hands as the kiss deepened.

The windows fogged over but neither noticed. He pushed her against her door as he leaned over her. Her arms were around his neck seconds later. He pulled away when he heard her chest wheezing from lack of oxygen. He put his forehead to hers as she tried to control her breathing.

"The windows are fogged," he said.

"I can think of worse things happening," she said with a smile.

"It's after two. Your dad is going to be home in an hour. I don't want to give him a reason to hate me."

"He could never hate you. He likes you more than Jake."

"That may be, but I don't want to blow it."

"Come over tonight?"

"I've got school in the morning," he said with a shake of his head.

"You had better come over tomorrow night then."

"I might, I might not," he said in a teasing manner.

She gave him a pointed look before leaning up to kiss him. She pleaded for entrance. He pulled away with a groan.

"Okay, okay, I'll come over," he said with a chuckle.

She smiled in victory as he pulled away from her. He pulled his shirt over his head as she watched him. He had gained muscle in all the right places, but how had he done it? She didn't want to come right out and ask, but she would never know otherwise.

"How did you gain all of that muscle so fast?"

"When you can lift a car it's pretty easy."

"You can lift a car?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Just the back end and I can bench press my weight."

"That is such a turn on," she said shaking her head.

He turned his head so that she couldn't see the smile that spread across his face. He opened the door and waved before shutting it.

Bella pulled away, her wipers working overtime because it was snowing harder than she had ever seen it. She leaned over the steering wheel to look out the window. She could only see ten feet ahead of her. If she went slow enough she would be able to stop if she saw something. Embry followed her home then sped up as he passed her house. She hoped that he made it home safe. Even though he couldn't die she still worried that he could get hurt.


	17. What She Wants

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight but I do own the OC characters mentioned in this chapter.**

Bella felt someone behind her as she read through a magazine. She turned her head slowly, a smile tugging at her lips as Embry walked the last few feet to her.

"I never should have given you the code for the backdoor. You like sneaking up on me too much," she mumbled.

"Just once I would like to take you by surprise," he said pulling her to him.

"Was the first time not enough?"

He shook his head with a teasing smile. He leaned down capturing her lips in a soft kiss. She sighed against his lips as she leaned into him. He pulled away looking down at her. The door opened and a customer came in a few seconds later.

"There's more where that came from. You'll just have to wait," he whispered before helping the customer.

She shook her head to clear it of thoughts of him. He always had that effect on her. She couldn't explain it; she lost all of track everything when she was with him. It had happened with Edward, but it had never been like this.

Embry came back around the counter to ring the person up. Bella busied herself with rearranging pamphlets on the counter. Once they left he came to stand next to her.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said with a nod.

"No you're not," he said giving her a credulous look.

"I'm fine. Nothing is wrong," she said looking at him.

"You can tell me."

"I'm falling into my old routine again. Whenever you're near me I can't think of anything but you."

"This has happened before?"

"It's never been like this."

"Would it help if I told you I have the same problem?"

"You're better at hiding it," she murmured.

"No I'm not. I'll prove it to you," he said pulling her towards the back of the store.

They were in the back hall less than a minute later. He pinned her against the wall before leaning just inches from her mouth.

"It's hard sometimes. I think about you constantly."

"You do?"

"You just don't know," he said with a shake of his head.

"Tell me," she said treading her fingers in his hair.

"It's not just when I'm with you. I can never get you out of my head."

"That sounds serious," she said in concern.

"Oh, it is," he said gravely.

"I'll have to do something about that."

She leaned in and captured his lips in a slow kiss. Her fingers grazed the back of his neck making his breath hitch. He gripped her hips lightly as he pleaded for entrance. She opened her mouth, his tongue immediately caressing hers. He moaned in the back of his throat as she pressed herself against him.

His senses were heightened and every nerve in his body tingled. She pulled away, her chest heaving as she put her forehead to his.

"Smart idea bringing us back here by the way," she praised.

"I didn't want to make every guy outside jealous," he said, his voice thick with lust.

"You know what this means don't you?"

"What does it mean?"

"We're falling in love."

"That's good to know," he said with a smile.

"It's better the second time."

He kissed her lightly before the bell rang. He pulled away from her and she walked through the store. She found him in the office going over the inventory list a few minutes later.

"That's my job."

"Mr. Newton isn't here; I didn't think that you would mind my help."

"Help as much as you want," she said as she sat in his lap.

"I'm not going to get much done with you in my lap."

"Am I bothering you?" she asked giving him an innocent look.

"You never bother me. You can sit in my lap when I get done," he said lifting her out of his lap.

She went to the front of the store to wait for him. Her cell phone rang while she was looking through her magazine.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella."

"Hey, Nadine."

"I figured that I would call you and invite you to dinner. I had asked Embry to do it, but I have a feeling that he forgot," she said with a light laugh.

"He hadn't told me."

"Will you come?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure."

"Great. I'll see you later."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Embry came through the store half an hour later. He placed the inventory list on the counter next to her.

"I need your signature before I can send it out."

"Your mom invited me to dinner," she said as she signed the paper.

"I knew I forgot something. You're so damn distracting," he said kissing behind her ear.

She laughed lightly as a smile pulled at her lips. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. The door opened and someone walked down the stairs. Bella tried to pull away, but Embry kept her in place.

"Relax, look over my shoulder," he said calmly.

She looked over his shoulder and smiled shyly.

"My husband is watching."

"Back away Call or I'll call your boss," Jared threatened.

"What are you doing here?" Embry asked as he turned around.

"Protecting what is mine."

"I don't see Kim here."

"My other mine," Jared said, rolling his eyes.

"That makes no sense!" Embry pointed out.

Bella shook with laughter as they continued to taunt each other.

"Make a choice Bella, is it the muscle bound ape or the guy you dream about?"

"Actually I dream about him too," she said sheepishly.

"I am defeated," Jared said as he hung his head in shame.

"If things don't work out with Embry I will marry you," she promised sympathetically.

"I knew being greedy would be my downfall," Jared said solemnly.

He walked out before either of them could reply. Embry turned towards her before leaning against the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest before giving her a once over.

"What?" she asked.

"You dream about me?"

"Yes," she said giving him a pointed look.

"What about?" he asked nonchalantly.

"We are not going to have this conversation right now."

"That good?" he asked with a crooked smile.

"That great," she said with a dreamy smile.

He smiled broadly before going to set up the new fishing rod display. Bella watched him with a smile. She was falling in love with him. She couldn't fight it if she tried.

XXXX

Embry followed Bella home and waited while she changed. Half an hour later they were pulling up in front of his house. A familiar car was in the driveway in between Nadine's car and Sam's jeep.

"Great," he muttered.

"What's wrong?"

"How do you feel about meeting Joshua?"

"That's your dad's car?"

He nodded as they walked up the stairs. His mom met them at the door with a sheepish smile.

"I'm sorry for the ambush. Your dad wanted to meet Bella and Emily," she said once Emily had pulled Bella away.

"How does he know about her?"

"I told him. He's in the living room; he's waiting to talk to you."

"Thanks," he said in a clipped tone.

"Emmy, don't be mad at me. I didn't know that he was going to do this," she pleaded.

He nodded with a sigh. It wasn't her fault that his father had decided to butt into his life. Joshua had no right to be there.

"Embry, could you please come in here?" Joshua asked.

"Just one minute," he said before walking into the kitchen.

He took Bella by the hand and pulled her into the hall.

"I need you to do something for me," he whispered.

She nodded, not sure what was going on.

"Come in there with me. I am so mad that I could tear him in half."

She let go of his hand and held up a finger, telling him to wait. She walked into the living room seeing Joshua and Sam.

"Mr. Uley, could I talk to you outside please?"

"Of course," he said politely.

Once outside she turned to face him.

"You're used to getting what you want, aren't you?"

"I work hard, and I expect certain things."

"You can't just walk into your son's lives and expect things to be fine. Your youngest son has never had a father figure. He doesn't blame you but you cannot toss your weight around and expect him to do whatever you want. And Sam is a grown man who is making the best of what he has. They are both good people who didn't ask to have an absent father."

"I am trying to reconcile with them," he reasoned.

"You're going about it the wrong way. You haven't talked to Embry since you came to see him, yet you've had contact with Nadine. Do you think she likes seeing Embry suffer?"

"Nadine and I are friends."

"Think about what I said."

"Are you used to getting what you want Bella?"

"No. Embry is the only guy to ever honestly pay attention to me; he listens to what I have to say. I've had other boyfriends, I've even been engaged. No one has ever treated me better than Embry has."

Joshua nodded before turning to walk inside. Bella gripped the railing trying to gather her thoughts. He didn't seem like a bad person, just someone who wasn't used to being put in their place. She looked through the front window seeing Sam and Embry sitting on the couch while Joshua sat across from them.

"I heard what you said," Leah said from the yard.

"I didn't realize anyone else was out here."

"I have wanted to give that guy a piece of my mind for years. Sam had a difficult time growing up. His mom tried to be there, but a lot of the time it was just Sam. He used to blame himself for his dad leaving."

"What about now?"

"He's dealt with it. He's trying to help Embry. Did it feel good to tell him off?"

"It really did," Bella said with a laugh.

"Awesome. I'm never gonna forget it, I'm gonna tell everybody."

"Make sure it's okay with Sam and Embry first."

"You should go inside before Nadine suspects something."

"I'll see you around."

She waited until Leah was out of the yard before she went inside. Nadine gave her a curious look. Emily smiled before gesturing for her to sit next to her.

"What did you do?" she whispered.

"I gave him a dose of reality."

"You stole my idea," she said with a mock glare.

"If nothing changes you can have the next turn."

"Deal," she said with a pleased smile.

Nadine called the men into the kitchen and Embry came to sit next to Bella. He winked at her with a crooked grin. Sam gave her a polite nod while Nadine was saying grace. Joshua and Emily talked while everyone else ate quietly. Apparently the talk outside had made its point. Embry took her free hand under the table, rubbing slow circles into her palm.

Late that night Bella and Embry and were in her bed when he turned to face her.

"I'm the first guy to ever listen to you?"

"Edward always had ulterior motives. With Jake it was always a battle. It was like pulling teeth to get him to listen to reason."

"Neither of them paid attention to you?"

"Edward left me without looking back just because Carlisle told him to. Jacob had other things on his mind."

He sighed before draping an arm over her. He wasn't the first guy to treat her right, but he was the first one to do it without ulterior motives. That was what mattered.

"Do you have plans for Saturday?"

"No, I'm free. What did you want to do?"

"Billy is throwing Rachel and Paul a bonding ceremony party."

"What's a bonding ceremony?"

"No one's told you?"

"No," she said shaking her head.

"A bonding ceremony is a rite for any imprint. It's not required, but it is more sacred than a marriage."

"Really?"

"It's like a wedding ceremony, only there isn't anyone present but the couple and the alpha of the pack. The couple recites vows, pledging their love to one another. The imprint will get a smaller version of our tattoo on their wrist."

"What if the imprint wants to get married?"

"Then they can get married."

Bella nodded as she took hold of his hands. She closed her eyes with a sigh. Once she was asleep Embry felt himself relax. No one had ever stuck up for him the way she had tonight. It had made his heart swell with pride. It was then that he knew that he loved her. There was no going back. They were both in this together and he felt better knowing that she was on his side.


	18. Feels Like Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight nor do I own the song that this chapter is named after. They belong to Stephenie Meyer and Tony Lucca.**

**AN: I want to point out that this chapter is ****not based on the song Feels like Love. I just happened to hear it while I was writing and decided that it made for a good title. It is a wonderful song by an artist who does not get the recognition that he deserves. I have been a fan of his music for ye****ars, and I highly recommend his music to all of you.**

Embry sat in his room with his IPod turned up as loud as it would go. Joshua had been there when he got home. His mom had wanted them to talk but he claimed that he had a ton of homework that would more than likely take him all afternoon to do. He hadn't been lying. He had woken up sick the other morning and his mom had made him stay home for two days. Bella didn't seem to mind coming over to take care of him since his mom couldn't.

A shadow was cast over his shoulder as he worked on his history paper that was due tomorrow. The person pulled an ear bud from his ear making him sigh.

"It's not like I'm your dad," Jacob said with a sigh.

"I need to get this done. I've still got Chemistry and Calc. to do after this," Embry pointed out, his voice slightly manic.

"Take a break. I wanna talk to you," Jacob urged.

He turned off his IPod with a sigh before clearing off his bed. Jacob sat against the wall in front of him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You tell me," Jacob said with a laugh.

"What do you wanna know?" he asked in confusion.

"I haven't seen you in almost a week except at school," Jacob observed.

"I was sick; my mom freaked and kept me home for two days. I've been working," he explained rationally.

"And then there's Bells," Jacob offered.

"Yeah," he said with a smile.

"How is she?" Jacob asked quietly.

"Good, she's as stubborn as ever," he reassured him.

"What does that mean?" Jacob asked with a laugh.

"She drives me crazy in a good way. She's all I think about. Yet she doesn't think that she's worth it," Embry said in wonder.

"She did that with me too. I think it has to do with Edward. He called the shots in their relationship. She took a huge ego blow when she was with him," Jacob said in frustration.

"So she hasn't always been like this?"

"She has, it's gotten worse. Just keep working at it," Jacob pleaded.

"I love her," he said with another smile.

"It's not hard to do," Jacob said with a nod.

"I haven't told her yet," he said, his voice laced with fright.

"What the hell are you waiting on?" Jacob asked urgently.

"I'm scared. She's the first girl I've ever loved. She told me that Edward rarely said it," he explained rationally.

"She didn't tell me that. No wonder I pushed her away, I said it constantly," Jacob said, shaking his head sadly.

"Do you see why I'm scared? I don't want to say it and have her tell me that she isn't ready for it yet," his voice rose in panic once more.

"She would never do that. She told me that she loved me once. After that she would say 'I care about you'. That was enough for me," Jacob reassured him calmly.

Embry nodded as Jacob stood.

"Don't stress out over it. I'm pretty sure she's just as scared as you are," Jacob said with a lopsided smile.

Embry smiled as he started his IPod again. The sound of Green Day filled his ears as he continued to work on his homework. He would talk to Bella tonight. After his mom went to bed, he would go and see her.

XXXX

Jacob sat in his car with the heat cranked up, waiting for Allison to come out. He had shed his sweatshirt and was now in his jeans and a t-shirt. She wasn't comfortable with him being almost naked and he respected that. It was as hot as a sauna in the car by the time she got in.

"Aren't you hot?" she asked as she got in.

"I didn't want you to get cold," he explained.

"I'm fine," she said once she had adjusted the heat.

"How's your grandmother doing?" he enquired.

"Fine, she's sleeping, so I can't stay out here long," she said, wanting him to change the subject.

"I want to ask you something," he said seriously.

"What?" she asked turning to face him.

"Where do think our relationship is at?" he asked in concern.

"I like you a lot, but I don't think I'm in love with you, not yet," she said as nicely as she could.

"Me neither. Have you ever been in love?"

"No," she said shaking her head.

"It's an intense feeling. The person becomes the center of your whole world. You would do anything, be anything for them. Bella didn't feel the same way, no matter how hard she tried," he said sadly, remembering all of the things that had gone wrong in his relationship with her.

"Imagine how it will feel to have someone love you back," she said as she put a hand on his arm.

"I can't wait," he said with a smile.

"I can't either," she said in agreement.

"Are you warm enough?"

"Can we get in the back seat without getting out of the car?" she asked hopefully.

"I would have to get back there first. It would be a tight fit, why?"

"Come with me," she said opening her door.

They walked to her Plymouth and she got in first.

"This is better," she said with a smile.

"You aren't cold?" he asked, worried.

"Not for long," she said reaching for the hem of his shirt.

It was over his head before he could respond. Her hands explored every inch of his torso, chest, arms, and back before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm starting to warm up now," she said looking him in the eye.

He lay down, pulling her with him. All of her weight was on him as he ran his hands through her hair.

"So do all the wolves look like this?" she asked; her hands on his chest.

"Just the ones with an imprint, we have girls to impress," he said in a macho way.

"I am impressed," she said in wonder turning her head so that she was looking up at him.

He smiled up at her before kissing her lightly. He pulled away with a sigh.

"Your grandmother is awake, she's looking for you," he explained.

"Come inside?" she said with pleading eyes.

"I have to go. I'm running patrol with Sam tonight," he said with a shake of his head.

"Will you come by tomorrow? My grandmother thinks that I've made up an imaginary boyfriend," she teased.

"I'll come over tomorrow," he promised with a laugh.

She climbed off of him, reaching over the front seat for his shirt. He pulled it on as she got out of the car. She rubbed her arms to keep warm as she waited for him.

"It's supposed to warm up this weekend," she said.

"Can you stay with Sam and Emily?" he asked.

She nodded as he wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down cupping her face in his hands. The kiss was slow and sweet and ended way too soon. Her grandmother stepped onto the porch making him pull away.

"At least she knows I'm real now," he said with a smile.

"You should go; you're going to be late," she said smacking his chest playfully.

He let go of her reluctantly before walking to his car. Allison walked to the porch to see her grandmother watching Jacob.

"That's the boyfriend?" she questioned, her voice showing no emotion.

"Yes ma'am," Allison said proudly.

"He couldn't come and meet me?" she questioned, her tone flat.

"He's late for work," she explained.

"One last kiss usually leads to another," she said in understanding.

"He's coming over tomorrow to meet you," Allison promised.

"He's tall, like Sam. Does he know Sam?"

"Yes ma'am. Jacob lives on the reservation," Allison explained.

"So he is Native American?" she asked, her tone letting Allison know that the news pleased her.

"I know how important that is to you," she explained.

"Make sure he doesn't come over too late," she warned.

"I will. I'll be going back with him so I can spend the weekend with Emily."

"All right," she said, nodding in agreement.

They went inside without another word. She was glad that her grandmother approved of Jacob. Her grandmother was known for being hard to please.

XXXX

There was an unmarked car parked in Bella's spot when she got home from work. Maybe someone from the station had come home with her dad. She walked into the house and her dad met her at the door. He gave her a smile, letting her know not to worry.

"You have a visitor," he said in greeting.

"I do?" she said quizzically.

"They're in your room," he explained.

She made her way up the stairs wracking her brain over who it could be. She paused at her door with wide eyes.

"Hi," The person said with a warm smile.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"You don't need to worry. I talked to Sam, I have his permission," The person reassured her.

"I wouldn't be worried about Sam," she explained with a worried tone.

"Bella, are you alright?" Embry called from downstairs.

"You can come up," she answered.

"Who is it?" The person questioned.

"It's Embry."

"I didn't smell him," The person said, their face a mask of confusion.

"What are you doing here Edward?"

"I was in town, we sold the house and someone had to be here. My guard was down, that's probably why I didn't notice him," he said, shaking his head.

Embry came to stand beside her, his stance tense. She put a hand on his arm to calm him down.

"Do you remember Embry?" she enquired.

"Yes. It's good to see you," Edward said politely.

Embry nodded as Bella took a step forward. Embry took hold of her hand, letting her pull him across the room.

"I wanted to see you," Edward said.

"I didn't think that you were allowed to," Bella rationalized.

"I've learned to control my thoughts around Aro. He's the only one who would find out," he reassured her with a warm smile.

"What about Alice?"

"She is the only person who knows," he said with a curt nod.

"You said Sam gave you permission?" Embry asked.

"Yes, he did," Edward said in acknowledgement.

"He didn't tell you?" Bella asked Embry.

"Why would he tell Embry? Other than you're his imprint?" he asked in confusion.

"He's my brother," Embry explained with a sigh.

Edward sat at the desk while Bella and Embry sat on the bed.

"My dad didn't react the way he normally does to you," Bella observed.

"We had a long talk. We reached an understanding," he explained.

"Could he and I talk alone?" Embry asked, turning to look at her.

"Sure," she said, not concerned what so ever that they would be alone, she trusted them both.

Charlie gave her a surprised look when she came downstairs to sit on the couch.

"Where are Embry and Edward?" he questioned.

"They're talking," she explained picking up a book from the coffee table.

"Is that a good idea?" he asked cautiously.

"They seem to be getting along," she said as she started to read.

Almost an hour later Edward came downstairs to say goodbye.

"You can go back upstairs Bella," he said opening the front door.

"Leave the door open," Charlie warned.

"I will," she promised before getting off the couch.

In her room Embry lay on her bed with his legs hanging over the end. She sat above him diagonally as he scooted up to put his head in her lap.

"What did you two talk about?" she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You, the pack, his family, and us," he explained.

"You were nice to him," she said with a smile.

"Why wouldn't I be? I don't have a problem with him," he questioned.

"Is there anybody that you don't get along with?" she asked, laughing lightly.

"Joshua," he said darkly.

"That's normal. I'd be mad too if my dad all of the sudden showed up after seventeen years," she agreed.

"Almost eighteen," he corrected her.

"Speaking of which, your birthday is coming up. What do you want to do?"

"My mom always makes a big deal, Jake and Quil come over. You're coming this year," he stated.

"Yes, I am," she said looking down at him.

"It's the day before; my mom's boss wouldn't give her the day off," he explained.

"They sound great," she said sarcastically.

"Nick's not a bad guy. My mom works most weekends, that's why he wouldn't give her the night off," he said, brushing it off.

"What do you want for your birthday?"

"You don't have to get me anything. Seeing you would be enough," he said, trying to dissuade her from getting him anything.

"Hmm, I guess I'll just have to give your present to Jake then," she thought out loud.

"I didn't say that I wouldn't take whatever you give me," he said with a laugh.

She leaned down to kiss him lightly as her hair fell around them. He brushed it over her shoulder before cupping her neck. They knew they didn't have long before Charlie came upstairs. Embry would hear him as he got up from the chair, but they didn't want to take any chances.


	19. Fulfilling A Dream

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Nor do I own the bands mentioned in this chapter.**

The room was shrouded in darkness as she walked through it. She knew where every piece of furniture was so she maneuvered around the room easily. She sat on the edge of his bed, taking in his sleeping form. She put a hand on his back, shaking him gently

"Wake up birthday boy," she sang.

"Come here," he said pulling her down to him.

She put her forehead to his as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"What time is it?" he asked with a sigh.

"Seven."

"That's too early," he whined.

"We have a long day ahead of us."

"Can't we just stay in bed?"

"Do you really want me to give your present to Jake? I spent a lot of money on it."

He sighed before opening his eyes.

"Is it really important that we start the day this early?"

"We have a three hour drive ahead of us. Get in the shower and I'll make you breakfast."

"You're bossing me around and you haven't even kissed me yet."

"I am so sorry," she said before kissing his neck.

"Can you do that again on the other side?"

She leaned in to brush her lips against his neck again. She put her forehead to his again, brushing her lips over his.

"Now get in the shower," she said sternly.

"Yes ma'am," he said with a smile.

She was finishing breakfast when he came into the kitchen twenty minutes later. She sat a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon with biscuits in front of him before making herself a plate.

"What are we doing today?"

"It's a surprise."

"You're getting me back for Valentine's Day?"

"And you're going to love it," she promised.

"Will the night end like it did then?"

"It's going to be better."

"Then I can't wait."

They were on the road just before nine. They talked for the entire three hour drive. Bella had been smart enough to borrow Charlie's GPS so they wouldn't get lost.

"We're going to Seattle?"

"Yes, we are."

"Why?"

"Because your birthday present is there," she stated plainly.

They were stuck in traffic once they got off the interstate just outside of Seattle. Most of the traffic seemed to be going in the same direction they were going. The car inched forward and a place Embry knew came into view.

"Please tell me that we are going to see Kings of Leon at the Seattle Dome."

"We're going to see Kings of Leon at the Seattle Dome," she said with a smile.

"Seriously?" he asked excitedly.

"The tickets are in the glove box," she said gesturing to it.

He jerked the glove box open and fished around until he found the tickets.

"These seats are on the ground," he said in astonishment.

"Uh huh," she said proudly.

"You paid a hundred and fifty bucks a piece them?"

"You're worth it."

"Why did I have to pack a bag?"

"We're not going straight home."

"Another surprise?" he asked in intrigue.

"Yep, it's from your mom."

The car moved towards the stadium inch by inch before finally passing through the gates an hour later. They walked through the crowd hand in hand so that they wouldn't get separated. The crowd moved even slower as they got closer to the stadium.

"You didn't have to do this," he said as he draped an arm over her shoulders.

"I wanted to. You only turn eighteen once."

"This is amazing," he said, taking everything in.

"First concert?" she questioned.

"Yeah, it's not yours?"

"My mom took me to see 'N Sync when I was eight."

"Weren't they a boy band?" he teased.

"Shut up. Justin Timberlake is cool," she said rolling her eyes with a smile.

He laughed lightly before kissing her temple. She laid her head on his shoulder as she leaned against him. They moved up in line and were able to see the gate to get in. It wouldn't be much longer.

Twenty minutes later a security guard was checking Bella's bag before they were allowed to go in.

"You can go in," The guy said handing her back her purse.

Embry looked around in awe as they walked through the tunnel.

"Do you realize how many football legends have walked through here?"

"A lot?" she asked.

"Typical girl answer, you don't watch football?"

"I know who Tom Brady is. Plus, I can recognize the Manning brothers and Michael Straiham."

"They have all been through here. Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Johnny Unites; I could go on."

"Walking through here is a big deal for you isn't it?"

"I've only wanted to do this since I was five," he explained in awe.

"I'll give you a moment," she said taking a step away from him.

He pulled her to him a minute later.

"Thank you," he said before pressing his lips to hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck with a smile on her lips. He pulled away a few inches keeping his forehead to hers.

"You don't have to thank me."

"This day has been amazing. If I died right now, I could die happy."

"If you die now, you won't see the concert."

"That's another thing, in less than five hours I'll see my favorite band, and I'm doing it all with you."

She smiled shyly as he pulled away from her. They walked the rest of the way in silence. She had felt the same way on Valentine's Day. It felt good to be the one to make him happy.

XXXX

They walked through the parking lot in silence. Embry was so excited that he couldn't put his feelings into words. Bella was content to be silent and let him soak everything in.

Once in the car Bella looked at him with a smile.

"Can you talk yet?" she teased.

"Don't make fun of me. It's still my birthday," he said with a pout.

"Only for twenty more minutes," she reminded him in a teasing manner.

"This has been the best day of my life."

"That's what I was going for."

He leaned over the middle compartment to cup her neck.

"I'm going to tell you something. I don't expect you to say it, not until you mean it."

"I love you," she said with a smile.

"I wanted to be the first one to say it," he said with a smile.

"I do mean it. I've been scared to say it too soon."

"I love you too."

"Good to know."

"I knew it when you stood up to my dad."

"It was more than one thing for me. You've been so patient with me; I have issues when it comes to love because I wasn't raised to know what it was like to love someone this much. You have stuck with me."

"I'm not going anywhere," he said as he leaned the rest of the way in.

The kiss was gentle; her tongue slipped past his lips with seductive prowess. He growled deep in his chest as his fingers gripped her hair. A car horn sounded making him pull away. The car in front of them had pulled away, and the traffic cop watched them with an amused look.

"You distracted me," she admonished him playfully as she pulled onto the main road.

They were on the interstate ten minutes later. Bella watched the signs that she passed mentally counting down until she found the one she needed. They passed motels, all night diners, and gas stations before the lights of Seattle faded from sight.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know about you, but once we get where we're going I'm going to bed. I'm tired."

"You still won't tell me?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head.

"Where are we?"

"We are an hour outside of Walawala."

"Are we leaving Washington?"

"Yes, we are."

"Did somebody tell you that I've never been out of Washington?"

"Maybe," she said in a teasing manner.

"Who told you?"

"Jake."

"What else did he tell you?"

"Nothing; you've really never been out of Washington? Not even to Canada or Oregon?"

"No."

"We're changing that tonight. Jake and I did this every weekend before he changed."

"So you're the one who monopolized all of his time," he teased.

"Now I'm monopolizing all of yours. We would pull out a map, point to some place on it and drive. You get to know a lot about a person on road trips."

"Where did you guys go?"

"We went to see Daughtry in Portland. We went camping in Vancouver. Most of our trips barely cost anything."

The scenery passed by in darkness as they sped down the highway. Three hours later they were passing into Canada. Half an hour after that they were at a cabin.

"Where exactly are we?"

"Vancouver, Canada."

"So we're bordering Washington?"

"It was as far as your mom would let me take you."

"She keeps me on a tighter leash than Billy keeps Jake."

"You're her only kid; she doesn't want anything to happen to you," Bella said as they got out of the car.

"Your dad doesn't have a problem letting you go."

"If it had been my mom I would never have been able to do anything either. She was the one who took road trips with her friends. She worries about me too much sometimes."

"Your dad doesn't?"

"In his own way, he's pretty laid back."

"So that's where you get it from."

"I haven't always been like this. I used to have panic attacks at the thought of danger."

"Like when Victoria was after you?"

"It started with James."

"What's changed?"

"You and the pack came into my life. It helps to know that you can dismember anyone who comes after me."

"I will always protect you," he said before brushing his lips to hers.

"Come on," she said once she pulled away.

"Whose cabin is this?"

"It's my dad's."

She smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. She was enveloped by his warmth when he pulled her against him. She did feel safe with him. She wasn't lying when she said that everything had changed once Victoria had been taken care of. Things changed even more when he imprinted on her. She would never have to feel scared again.


	20. Closer To You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Bella was at work when her dad came in half an hour before she was supposed to get off work. He had only come in once before, so she knew what he had to say was important. He stepped up to the counter, looking crest fallen.

"Did something happen to Gran?"

"She's fine," he said as he shook his head.

"Am I going to have to keep guessing?"

"Sorry. That tree outside your window was struck by lightning this morning. It crashed through your room. It's pretty bad."

"You have home owner's insurance don't you?"

"Yeah, the claim adjuster is coming the day after tomorrow. Did you have anything important or valuable up there?"

"My jewelry box has Grandma Marie's necklace that she wore for her wedding in it."

"Do know how much it's worth?"

"Mom had it appraised before she gave it to me. It's worth at least three thousand dollars."

"What kind of necklace is it?"

"A diamond Cartier necklace, Grandma said that Grandpa Sean gave it to her as a wedding present."

"Okay. I'm gonna need to write that down. Can you think of anything else? What about your laptop?"

"I dropped it off at Jake's this morning. He has a paper to write that's due Monday."

"Well that's good. Sue says that we can stay with her."

"We can't stay at the house?"

"Half of the front of the house is gone Bells. The tree went straight through your room and into the kitchen."

"What about my clothes?" she asked in concern.

"Leah went over and got you some. I asked her not to go, but she went through the maze of branches and glass to get you enough to last for a while."

Bella nodded letting the news sink in. Not only would she be staying with Sue, she would be right next door to Embry. Yes, she was upset about the house, but the idea of seeing Embry everyday excited her even more.

XXXX

Bella took a different route to get to La Push. Her usual route would have her passing the house. She didn't want to see it. So she was driving nearly twenty minutes out of the way so that she would bypass it.

She pulled up to Sue's to see Seth and Colin in the front yard. She saw movement in Embry's backyard and she glanced over to see his car in the driveway. She crossed Embry's yard to find him working on Jacob's bike with him.

"Why are you working on the bike back here?"

"Because my mom would freak if she came home and saw the mess we're making. At least the grass back here is dead," Embry said over his shoulder.

"What brings you over here?" Jacob asked.

"I'm staying at Sue's for a while."

"Jake, you're on your own," Embry said as he tossed the wrench he was holding to the ground.

"Sorry," she called to Jacob as Embry pulled her into the house.

Inside he led her into the living room. She was in his lap once he sat down.

"I don't care why you are staying at Sue's, but you are spending all of your time here," he said as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Your easy access to my room is gone."

"What do you mean it's gone?"

"It is now inside my house. Lightning struck it."

"That's why you're staying at Sue's?"

"Yes."

"At least no one was hurt."

"The good news is that you will see me every day for an undetermined amount of time."

"That is good news," he said cupping her chin.

He kissed her gently, letting his hand trail down her neck to rest on her shoulder. She turned her upper body to face him as the kiss deepened. A knock on the wall made them pull apart. Jacob was leaning against the entry way with his arms folded over his chest.

"I just wanted to let you know that I was leaving. Thanks for helping me."

"Not a problem."

"Bye Jake."

"See you later," he said with a wave.

Embry leaned back in, but Bella put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Do you realize that's the first time he's seen us kiss?"

"No, I did not know that," he said with a sigh.

"I think he took it well."

Embry nodded in agreement. Jacob had been more relaxed about their relationship. He had told Embry a few weeks before that he felt comfortable talking about his and Bella's relationship with him. Jacob had come a long way from the guy who had almost punched him four months earlier.

Bella pulled him from her thoughts by pressing her lips to his. Her hands were in between them pushing his shirt up seconds later. He pulled away long enough to pull his arms out of his shirt and pull it over his head. He quickly unbuttoned her shirt before putting his hands beneath it. Their hands explored as the kiss grew intense.

Her hands were on his chest before she pushed away. She was panting as she ran a hand through her hair.

"What was that for?"

"Just because," she said putting her forehead to his.

"Then thank you," he said as his fingers grazed her back.

"You're welcome," she said with a lazy smile.

She wrapped her arms around his neck then laid her head on his shoulder. She buried her face in his neck still smiling. They hadn't had the sex talk yet, but she wasn't ready for that yet. That didn't mean that they couldn't fool around.

XXXX

Bella lay on the floor in Leah's room shivering underneath the heaviest blanket Sue could find. Leah rolled over with a sigh. She leaned over the side of the bed to look at Bella.

"Sorry," she said through chattering teeth.

"Get up here," Leah said with a sigh.

It was bone chilling cold in the entire house. Sue was going through menopause and kept the air conditioner running constantly. Bella had bumped into her dad before going to bed. He was wearing his Forks police sweat suit and his thermal hunting socks.

Bella quickly crossed to the other side of the room.

"Even the floor is cold."

"I told you to dress warmer," Leah chagrined.

"I'm sorry that I don't own any flannel pajamas," she said with a huff.

"Just stay on that side. Because if I wake up to find you cuddling with me; Embry is going to be very lonely."

"I get it. I'll stay over here."

"I knew that you would catch on."

Bella could see into Embry's room from the bed. His light was on, but she couldn't see him. She reached for her phone before getting out of bed. She wrapped herself in the blanket from the window seat before sitting down.

I can see into your room, she texted.

He was at the window seconds later. He pointed down to the ground and she nodded. She opened Leah's window quietly and was able to climb out of it without too much trouble.

"What are you doing up?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep. I keep thinking about you being next door. What are you doing up?"

"It's as cold as an igloo in that house."

He wrapped his arms around her waist with a sigh. Her skin was cold to the touch, even to him. He rubbed her arms to warm them as he led her to the hammock.

"It's warmer out here than it is in there."

"It will be spring soon; pretty soon we'll be spending all of our time at the beach."

"Or you could take me cliff diving."

"You would want to do that? After what happened last time?" he asked in concern.

"I wouldn't be jumping alone."

He turned to face her with a smile. She smiled back sleepily before closing her eyes. He draped an arm over her waist before she scooted closer.

"Good night," he said kissing her forehead.

"Good night," she said with a sigh.

The wind rocked them gently as they fell asleep. This was how he wanted to fall asleep with her. It was simple yet it was intimate. They would have to do this more often.


	21. Best Laid Plains

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

After being at Sue's for three weeks Bella was craving normalcy. The house was too small for five people. It was always full of people. She spent most nights with Embry which was the only time other than at work when she could relax. When she woke one morning to find Embry's bed empty she went looking for him. She found him in the kitchen looking over something that was spread across the table.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she looked over his shoulder.

"I talked to my mom last night. She says that she's comfortable with me going away this summer."

"Where are you going?" she asked curiously.

"You and I are taking a road trip."

"We are? What about the pack?"

"Sam was the first one I talked to. They can handle things without me. Sit down. I can't decide what I want to see more, the east or west coast."

"I've personally always wanted to go to New York."

"East coast it is. That way we can go to Florida."

"What's in Florida?"

"Joshua. I told my mom that if we went that way that I would go and see him."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I'll have my bodyguard with me," he asked with a smirk.

She laughed shyly before smiling. He draped an arm over her shoulders before kissing her temple. She leaned into him before wrapping her arms around his waist. They talked about the places that they wanted to see for over an hour before they both had to go to work. Bella went next door to quickly change and was met at the door by her dad who gave her an admonishing look. She smiled sheepishly before walking past him.

"Do you work today?"

"I have to be there in an hour."

"Can you come here after work? I need to talk to you. It won't take long."

"Sure," she said with a nod.

She pushed the conversation out of her head for the rest of the day. When she got there that night there were building plans spread out on the coffee table in the living room. It was the plans for the house. There were two extra bedrooms and the kitchen was going to be expanded.

"Dad?" she called.

"I'll be there in a second," he called from the back of the house.

"I was just letting you know that I'm here."

Charlie came into the room looking disheveled. Sue went into the kitchen, not bothering to say hi to Bella. Bella gave him an amused look as he sat down next to her.

"Not a word," he warned.

"I wasn't going to say anything," she said shaking her head.

"Have you looked over this?" he asked gesturing to the plans.

"Yes Sir. Where is the money coming from? Did you win the lottery?"

"The insurance check came today. Apparently that necklace was worth more than you thought. It alone was sixty thousand dollars. I put that in the bank and you can have it when you decided to go to college. Other the money for the necklace they gave us two hundred thousand dollars."

"Really?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yes really. I talked to Sam today, he can come over and start clearing stuff out tomorrow and have the house done by June."

"That reminds me. I won't be here this summer."

"Where are you going to be?"

"Embry and I are taking a road trip."

"Okay," he said with a nod of his head.

"That's all you're going to say? You're not going to warn me about anything?"

"You're both eighteen now. And you don't need me constantly giving you rules."

"That's hasn't stopped you before."

"I trust you, and I trust Embry."

"Okay then. So Sue, Seth, and Leah are moving in with us?"

"Sue and Seth are. Leah's going to live here."

"Then what is the extra room for?"

"It's a guest room. I've wanted to add one for a while; this is the time to do it."

"Okay."

"There is one more thing."

"What?"

"Sue and I are going to be getting married this summer, before we move back into the house."

"That's great, congratulations," she said hugging him.

"We could get married before Bella and Embry leave. It's close to when the house will be done," Sue said as she came into the room.

"How far away is that?"

"It's two months away."

"That's enough time to get everything planned," Charlie said with a nod.

"I'm so glad that you're happy for us. We were both worried that you would be against it."

"No," Bella said shaking her head with a laugh.

"That's good. Let me show you what's going to happen with the house," he said as he picked up the plans.

Bella nodded as he continued to explain what was going to happen when the four of them were under the same roof. It would be a big adjustment, but it would be better than living in this small, cramped house.

XXXX

Jacob was woken up by the sound of someone walking through the house. He knew that it wasn't Rachel; she had left for work less than an hour ago. Billy was visiting his brother for the weekend, so he knew that it couldn't be him either. He slowly got out of bed, making as little noise as possible. The person stopped outside his door and he flipped on the light as the door opened. Allison jumped in surprise as he pulled her into his arms.

"It's good to see you too," she said with a laugh.

"What were you thinking sneaking through the house like that?" he asked as he looked down at her.

"I knocked for nearly ten minutes. I figured you were asleep."

"I was. You woke me up."

"Oh God, there's penance for that isn't there?"

"Yes there is," he said with a nod.

"What do I have to do?"

"Not much. You just have to stay here with me for the day."

"I guess I can do that," she said indifferently.

"Did I mention that we're going to be in bed?"

"It'll be tough, but I'll suffer through it," she said giving him a teasing smile.

He pulled her to the bed and lay down before pulling her onto the bed next to him. They lay on their sides facing each other taking in the silence. He brushed her hair out of her eyes before leaning in.

Her lips were pliant under his, letting him know how much she had missed him. She had recently started college after deciding to take the first two semesters off to take care of her grandmother. She had decided to make up for one of her lost semesters that summer, so it would be a while before they would be able to see each other again. The past two weeks since he had last seen her had gone by so slow. She pulled away, putting a hand on his arm.

"I was thinking that maybe you could come and see me on the weekends this summer," she said quietly.

"That wouldn't be a problem," he said with a smile.

"I don't know how I made it through the last two weeks without seeing you. I've missed you like crazy," she said with a groan.

"I talked my dad into getting me a laptop. We're going to get it this weekend."

"You mean we'll be able to talk more? Remind me to thank your dad."

"I think I've thanked him enough for the both of us," he said with a laugh.

She smiled before turning over onto her back. She stared up at him letting out a content sigh. She was glad that he was accepting of what was going on. She had been scared that he wouldn't be able to handle being away from her. None of the other wolves had been separated from their imprints so they had nothing to base it on. She should have known that everything was going to be fine.


	22. Jump, Then Fall

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: I know that Taylor Swift has a song by the same name as the chapter title. It is purely coincidence that they are the same. The chapter means something completely different than the song. So I did not rip off Taylor.**

**AN2: I want to say a special thank you to Jeniesethebeast for the onslaught of messages that she sent me last week. Welcome to the craziness and I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story. And to everyone else, thank you so much for taking the time to tell me how much you enjoy this story. You all are the reason that I write.**

Bella and Sue had been shopping for almost an hour and Sue had tried on three dresses. They all had looked wonderful on Sue and Bella had told her so. Sue came out wearing the second one she tried on and the sales associate attached a veil before Sue went to look in the mirror.

"This is the one," Sue said with a nod.

The cream colored lace dress was Bella's favorite of the three as well. It was short sleeved and it stopped just above the heel of Sue's high heel shoe.

"It's beautiful," Bella said.

"I wish that Leah could be here with us," Sue said sadly.

Leah had recently started working at a country club just outside of La Push as a waitress. She had been insistent that she wanted to pay her mom rent. She didn't want her mom to just give her the house. Once she had saved up enough she planned on buying the house.

"Should we look at bridesmaids dresses?" Sue asked.

"Shouldn't be something that you do with Leah? She's going to be your maid of honor."

"Shopping has never been Leah's thing. I know that you don't like it either, but at least you aren't complaining and haven't threatened to leave me here yet," Sue said in Leah's defense.

"Leah's hostile when it comes to shopping," Bella said with a nervous laugh.

"Her dad was the same way. I couldn't even ask Harry to go to the grocery store without him complaining," she said with a heavy sigh.

Bella laughed before shaking her head. She would suffer through another hour of shopping for Sue's sake. Sue would pick up a dress look at it, shake her head then put it back.

"Are you looking for a certain color?" Bella enquired.

"I want it to be red, a dark red. My flowers are white roses, so I wanted a color that wouldn't clash with the flowers."

"Maybe burgundy or a wine color?" she offered.

"Or maybe Amber," Sue thought at loud.

"Do you want it to be strapless or sleeveless?"

"Sleeveless, something comes to the knee," Sue explained.

Bella walked to another rack, rifling through dresses. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out of her pocket. She had sent Leah a picture of her mom wearing her dress and she was texting her back.

That's the one?

That's it.

She's beautiful.

She has me helping her look for bridesmaids dresses now.

Nothing too hideous.

She told me what she wants, and it's not hideous.

Thank you for doing this with her. I wouldn't have lasted as long as you have.

So I heard. It's not a problem.

Sue called her name and Bella looked up to see her holding up a wine colored strapless dress with a black sash. Bella nodded her head with a smile. Sue made her way over to her and she shut her phone quickly. Bella knew that Sue would want Leah to be surprised so she wouldn't let on to what she had done. She also knew that Leah had really wanted to be there but that she couldn't get out of work.

"They had it in your size. Would you try it on?" she pleaded.

"Sure," Bella said with a forced smile.

She followed the sales associate back to the changing room and took in her reflection in the mirror. The color made her pale skin look almost translucent making her cringe. She would have to get some sun before the wedding; that was for sure.

Leah had been helping Sue with the plans up until now, and Bella had been asked her opinion on everything. Sue wanted to include Bella too since she would be a part of their family once Sue and her dad were married. Bella was touched that Sue valued her opinion enough to let her help plan the wedding.

XXXX

Jacob had fallen asleep watching a movie when his phone rang late one night. He stared at it through bleary eyes before opening it.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"I thought that you were going to wait up for me to call you?" Allison teased.

"I fell asleep watching a movie," he explained.

"It must have been a really bad movie," she said with a laugh.

"It was horrible," he agreed.

"What was it? So I know not to watch it."

"Prince of Persia," he said in disdain.

"I know that one. Thanks for the heads up." she said gratefully.

"You're just now getting back from your study group?" he asked with a yawn.

"Some of the people in my group just can't comprehend Whitman or E.E. Cummings humor."

"E.E. Cummings, you've read her to me before, right?" he questioned.

"Yes I have, thank you for remembering," she praised.

"She has a sadistic sense of humor, that's why I remembered her," he said with a sigh.

"She does have a different way of looking at things," Allison said with a laugh.

"Who's Whitman?" he asked in confusion.

"Walt Whitman," she explained.

"I don't know who that is."

"I'll lend you my copy of Leaves of Grass. You'll love it. He does like to talk a lot, so his poems are on the long side," she stated.

"I have to read it?" he groaned.

"Tell you what, I'll read it to you some other time. I leant my copy to somebody tonight."

"What are you doing?" he asked when he heard water running.

"I am getting ready to get in the shower. I don't want to keep you too long," she explained, the roar of water getting louder.

"I am going to imagine you in the shower for the rest of the night," he said with a sigh.

"I knew you were going to say that," she said that sarcastically.

"Then you shouldn't have said it," he countered.

"I miss you," she said quietly.

"I miss you too," he said with a muted sigh.

"I can come down this weekend, but only for one night. I have a paper due on Monday that I haven't even started," she promised.

"I'll take what I can get," he said thankfully.

"I'll see you Saturday."

"See you Saturday," he said tiredly.

"'Night Jake."

"G'night."

He closed his phone then turned off the TV before turning over to lie on his side. His clock glared back at him letting him know that it was almost one. He closed his eyes with a sigh knowing that he would have trouble getting up for school in the morning. He would be up all night thinking about Allison.

The same thing had happened with Bella. At least he could go and see her and that would make things easier. Things had changed at some point in his relationship with Allison. Somehow, without his realizing it, he had fallen in love with her.

XXXX

Leah hated her job. Everyone who worked there hated her too. She hadn't even done anything to deserve it. She was tired of the customers looking down on her just because her skin color was different than there's. It didn't matter that she'd had to have three recommendations plus someone from the club to sponsor her just to get the job. She worked harder than anyone there and she never got credit for her work. She would need to start looking for another job soon because this one was pushing her to her breaking point.

She made her way through dining room, counting off how many customers were in the room. They only had six customers and there were three waiters. None of the customers were in her station so she sat at the bar looking out over the river.

"You look like you could use a drink," Someone said from a few feet away.

"It's unprofessional to drink on the job," she said, not looking at the person.

"Maybe I could buy you one after work?" The person asked.

"No," Leah said pointedly, finally making eye contact with the person.

The guy stood less than a foot away from her and her defenses immediately went up. She reigned in her anger before pulling herself off the stool. She saw someone waiting at the hostess station and she made her way over. The hostess had been sent home early since they were so slow so it was up to the waiters to seat the customers.

She was less than five feet away when she made eye contact with the man. His deep brown eyes broke away from hers almost immediately. His black hair was going gray at the temples, but she thought that it gave him a distinguished look. He was average height and thin. He would be considered ordinary by most people's standards. Her breath hitched and she froze where she was. She knew exactly what was going on. Jacob and Embry had explained what it felt like to imprint. She would have to pull herself together so that people didn't suspect that there was something wrong.

"Welcome to Harbor Country Club, are you waiting for someone else?" she asked the man with a shaky voice.

"No," he said quietly.

"Right this way," she said as she grabbed a menu from the hostess station.

She led him to the back corner of the restaurant by the bank of windows overlooking the golf course. She took his drink order and put the order in at the bar. When she came back with his coffee he had set the menu off to the side letting her know that he was ready to order.

She had tried to get him to open up to her when she had seated him, but he wouldn't give her more than one word answers. She knew that she wasn't the bubbliest person in the world, but she did have some conversation skills. She set his coffee in front of him with a smile.

"Are you ready to order Sir?" she questioned politely.

"I'll have the seared Salmon with mixed vegetables," he said, not looking up at her.

"I'll be back shortly with your order," she reassured before picking up the menu.

"Thank you," he said with a small smile, looking at her from under his eye lashes.

She heaved a silent sigh of relief as she walked away. So he wasn't as closed off as she thought. She placed the order in the kitchen before coming back to help one of the other waitresses clean up her tables. All of them did that and most of the waitresses would share their tips with the person who helped them, but no one ever shared there's with Leah. That was why she never let anyone help her with her station.

His order was up ten minutes later and Leah went back to the kitchen to get it. When she came back through the dining hall her manager was talking to the guy. Leah quietly set his lunch in front of him before turning to walk away.

"Leah, one minute," Her boss said.

"Yes, Misses Dabney?" Leah asked.

"Oliver called in sick a little while ago. Would you be able to cover his shift tonight?"

"Of course," she said with a nod before walking away.

A double shift meant more money, which was great. She wondered why her boss had asked her and not one of the other girls. Her mind drifted to why Misses Dabney had been talking to the man. Had she done something wrong and he was filing a complaint? She went over everything that she had done since he came in in her head. No, she had been polite and prompt. She had even smiled, which she hated doing because she thought that it made her come across as fake.

The man raised his hand to get her attention a few minutes later. He had barely touched his food, was he ready to leave already?

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Could I get another cup of coffee?" he asked.

"Sure," she said politely.

How had he drunk it so fast? Usually she waited five minutes after a table got their food to check to see if they needed a drink refill. She filled his cup before asking if he would like to order desert.

"No thank you. Could I have my check?"

"I'll go get it for you," she said with a nod.

The guy clearly had an 'I don't like to be bothered, so please leave me alone unless I call you over' vibe about him. She would have to remember that in case he decided to come in again. She sat the check book on the table before walking away again. She was wiping down the bar when she saw him paying his bill up front. She walked back to his table to see a customer evaluation card lying on top of a twenty dollar bill. She picked up the card and looked over it with a smile. His name was Julian, and he had given her the best evaluation anyone had ever given her. She went to slip the card into her apron so that she could put it in the jar at the bar when she noticed something on the back. She flipped it over and her eyes widened in surprise. He had written her a short note saying that he had given another card to her boss and that this one was for her. He had even given her his phone number.

She quickly slipped the twenty into her apron, trying to hide her excitement. Obviously he was very good at hiding his emotions. He seemed nice, even if he was a little more reserved than most of the guys Leah went for. She couldn't wait to go home and tell her mom and Bella what had happened.


	23. Studying with Benefits

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: This chapter contains l****emon.**

Leah had been sent to the kitchen to help with the dishes since there were six waiters and only one dish washer. She didn't mind, the guy chose to speak Spanish when he wasn't on the floor dealing with customers, which was rarely ever. Since Leah spoke Spanish almost as well as she spoke Quileute she was the only one who could translate for everyone else.

They had a system, he would prewash the dishes and she would load them into the racks. Once the load was done he would wrap towels around his hands since the dishes would be scalding to the touch. He would unload and dry them and by the time Leah got them they were cool enough to touch so that she could put them away. The noise from the full dining room was almost muted at the back corner of the kitchen where they worked.

"Clearwater," Someone called from the front of the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she yelled over the roar of the dishwasher.

"It's time for your break. You've got a visitor."

She let the guy know that she was leaving and he nodded without breaking his stride. She walked through the mass of cooks and waiters to the front of the kitchen as she untied her apron. She hung it on a peg by the kitchen door before pushing it open. She searched the dining room, looking for someone that she knew. By the time she got to the bar she still hadn't seen anyone she knew.

Her eyes paused at a table in a dark corner by the bar. She couldn't really see the person, but it almost looked like Julian. She made her way across the room and as she got closer she realized that it was him. He was looking down at a book that was sitting in front of him on the table, oblivious to the dinner rush going on around him.

"Hi," she said getting his attention.

"Hey," he said looking up from his book with a small smile.

"You asked for me?"

"I asked if you were here. I didn't realize that you would be in the kitchen. Your boss was nice enough to say that you could take your break."

"Thank you. I was going stir crazy back there."

"You're welcome," he said as his smile widened.

"Aren't you going to order dinner?"

"I ate before I came here. I wanted to ask you something."

"What?"

"Why haven't you called me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you haven't done anything wrong. I've been busy with work. My family is in the process of moving, so I've been helping with that. Also my mom is getting married, as maid of honor it is my job to help her whenever she needs me. I haven't had a moment's peace except when I am sleeping in weeks."

"Oh. I thought it might have been because you didn't like me," he said laughing nervously.

"I don't know enough about you to decide if I like you or not," she said giving him a teasing smile.

"That can be easily fixed," he said with a nod.

"I get off at ten if you want to come back."

"I have something important to do in the morning," he said with a shake of his head.

"I'm off Sunday."

"I can meet you here at noon."

Leah nodded before her manager came to tell her that her break was over. She was back in the kitchen as a new load of dishes was finishing in the dish washer. Her hands were ready for whatever Raul would hand her.

"Did you see the guy she was talking to? He didn't even order anything," Someone said from around the corner.

"Isn't he a little old for her?" Someone else asked.

"I was here when he came in the other day. He left her a tip bigger than his entire bill," The first person said.

Leah pushed the conversation from her mind. If they wanted to speculate about what was going on then let them. She didn't have to answer to them or anyone else. He seemed a little nervous, like he felt out of place when he was talking to her. She got the impression that he wasn't usually so straight forward or up front. She still didn't know anything about him other than his name and what his phone number was. She was just going to have do some research before she saw him on Sunday.

XXXX

Jacob looked up at the building in front of him trying to figure out what he would say when he saw Allison. She had asked him to come up but he didn't know what to expect. They had never spent the night together and now he was going to be spending the weekend with her.

He made his way up the stairs and pulled open the door. He got stopped by a security guard who asked who he was looking for. He was asked to show his ID before the guy picked up the phone that was sitting next to him. He talked to the person for a few seconds before handing Jacob a form.

"Fill that out. You'll need it to get into every building on campus," The guy said before making a copy of Jacob's Driver's License.

Less than ten minutes later the guy gave Jacob directions to Allison's room. Jacob took the elevator to the third floor and checked the room numbers before heading down the hall. He stopped in front of Allison's open door and knocked lightly. She sat on her bed surrounded by text books and her laptop. She looked up giving him a wide smile.

"I thought that you would never get here," she said standing from the bed.

"I had to wait until Rachel got home. She borrowed my car this morning," he said pulling her to him.

"I missed you," she said looking up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I missed you too," he said giving her a lazy smile.

"What do you want to do first?"

"We could go and get something to eat. I saw a pizza place not far from here."

"That sounds like a good idea. We can have it delivered; I don't plan on leaving this room all weekend," she said.

"I like that idea," he said as he shut the door behind him once she had pulled him in.

"While we're waiting on the pizza I need to get this done. It won't take more than ten minutes," she said pointing to the stuff on her bed while she dialed.

"Where's your roommate?"

"She went home for the weekend," she said before placing the order.

He sat his bag on the floor by the desk before sitting on the spare bed. She went back to working on her computer and by the time the pizza guy knocked on the door she was shutting down her computer. She started to walk towards the door but Jacob cut her off.

"I've got it," he said pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.

They sat on the floor between the two beds side by side while they ate. They caught each other up on how they had been and by the time they were done eating she was sitting in his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist once she leaned against him.

"This is nice," she said with a sigh.

"I think this is the longest we've been alone in months."

"We've got two more days to take advantage of it. I know what I want to do," she said pulling away from him.

He watched her as she walked to the desk and pulled something from her computer bag. Whatever she held was shiny and glittered in her hand. She held it between her fingers for him to take. He took it from her and smiled when he saw that it was a condom.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," she said with a nod.

"We haven't even talked about it yet."

"Do you not want to?" she asked, her forehead knitting together in concern.

"I didn't say that. I just want to make sure that this is what you want."

"It's what I want," she confirmed with a nod.

He nodded before pushing himself off the floor. She stood in front of him with questioning eyes.

"Before we start, have you ever slept with any other girls?"

"You'll be the first. Have you ever slept with any other guys?"

"One, we dated all through high school and broke up last summer."

"Good to know," he said before leaning down.

His lips brushed against hers and she pulled him down onto the bed with her. He sat the condom on the table beside the bed before threading his fingers into her hair. Her hands gripped the hem of his shirt pulling it up. He pulled his arms out of the shirt then pulled away from the kiss long enough to pull it over his head. Her tank top was thrown to the floor seconds later. His hands moved down her neck to her arms before reaching between them. Allison leaned up so that he could push down her pajama shorts and underwear.

She ran her hands down his back, her nails digging in in places. He undid his pants then pushed them down his legs as her hands came to rest on his back. His hands made their way up her stomach to her breasts before reaching into her bra to cup her breasts. She arched her back to unhook her bra one handed.

He pulled away from the kiss to look down at her. This was the perfect time to take her in. She stared up at him with loving eyes and he smiled down at her before his eyes roamed down her body. She didn't mind since he had no qualms letting her explore his body whenever she wanted. His hands moved over her breast feeling the weight of them in his hands. His thumbs brushed over her taut nipples before slowly moving down to her stomach. His fingers brushed over her skin lightly to stop at her hips.

"You're perfect," he said as his eyes met hers.

"So are you," she said with a smile.

His hands moved to in between her legs blazing a trail down her thighs to her calves. He leaned down to latch onto one of her nipples and she moaned in appreciation. Her hands reached down to wrap around his erection, pumping slowly. He hissed around her nipple before moving on to the other. His hands moved to her center and he slipped one finger inside. She lifted herself off the bed to meet his probing finger.

He added a second finger when he felt her relax under his touch. She pushed at his shoulders to get his attention. He tilted his head to look at her and she reached with her free hand for the condom.

"Are you sure that you've never done this before?"

"I'm a teenage guy; porn is my best friend after Quil and Embry," he stated bluntly.

"I should have known," she said with an eye roll as she opened the condom wrapper.

"Is that a problem?"

"No. I was just wondering how you knew exactly what to do."

"It helps to know what you're doing beforehand when it comes to this."

"You're right," she said as she handed him the condom.

He rolled the condom down his erection before guiding it into her center. He moaned deep in chest as he sunk into her. She sighed contently before wrapping her arms around his neck. He started a slow pace that she was able to match easily. It was a tight fit for the first few minutes because he needed to stretch her out carefully. Once she lifted herself off the bed to meet his thrust that let him know that he could quicken the pace.

He took hold of her hands, lifting them over her head. He leaned down to rest his arms on the bed and there was no space in between them from the neck down. His chest rubbed against hers bringing a whole new sensation to the mix. She was able to lift her head just enough to reach his lips.

He moved in and out of her slowly because there was no space between them whatsoever. She pulled her hands from his to thread her fingers in his hair before rolling them over. She pushed up on her arms so that the pace was back to where it was before. He rolled them over again before pulling away from her. All of his weight rested on his elbows as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

His climax hit him fast and he pumped into her a few more times before feeling her walls constrict around him. He rolled off of her and she moved against the wall. He pulled off the condom and threw it in the trash can between the two beds. He rolled over on his side to face her with his head resting on one arm.

"This bed isn't going to be so comfortable once we decide to go to sleep," she said.

"My legs hang off the end," he observed.

"And I am going to be turned into a pancake."

"Then we'll sleep on the floor."

He pulled on his boxers before pulling the pillows off the bed.

"Do you think your roommate will mind if we use her blanket as a mattress?"

"I don't think she will as long as we don't have sex on it."

She watched him pull the blanket off her roommate's bed before he pulled the one from off of her. She sat up letting the sheet fall to her waist. He sat on the edge of the bed in front of her turned at the waist to face her. He reached out to brush her hair out of her face and she leaned into the touch.

"So do you have anything else planned for us this weekend?" he asked.

"Nope, we're staying in here all weekend."

"You don't want to show me off?" he asked giving her a teasing look.

"That is tempting. We'll do that the next time you come up," she said leaning in to kiss him.

He let her pull him back onto the bed and he leaned over her as the kiss deepened. She turned out the light without breaking the kiss. The lights from outside cast shadows across the room but the noise from the hall was drowned out. They were together. Nothing else mattered.

XXXX

Embry hands fisted in his hair as he read the same paragraph that he had been on for the past five minutes a seventh time. His brain felt like it was going to explode and all of the information that he had crammed into it was threatening to start coming out of his ears. He had never had a problem studying before.

He closed his history book with a growl before sending all the paperwork that surrounded him cascading to the floor. His mom came to stand at his door, giving him a worried look.

"Maybe you should take a break. Go and see Quil then come back and try again later. You're putting too much stress on yourself Honey," she said once she came to sit next to him on the bed.

"I don't know what's going on," he said with a sigh.

"Have you heard back from Bella yet?"

He shook his head as he tapped his pen on his knee. Nadine put a hand on his to stop him.

"You need to calm down. Go see Quil, go for a walk, just get out of the house and leave your phone here. I'll tell you if anyone calls while you are gone."

"Yes ma'am," he said as he threw his legs over the side of the bed.

A few minutes later he was heading to the beach. He knew that Quil was at work and that Jacob wouldn't be home for at least another hour. He figured a walk on the beach would clear his mind.

Bella had applied to a couple of local colleges and she had found out a week ago that she had been accepted into the University of Washington. Embry was still waiting to hear back from them but he was sure that he would get in. His grades were near perfect and Bella had helped him study for his SAT's and he had gotten a twenty one hundred on them which was perfectly decent.

Bell was visiting the campus this weekend because one of her friends from school went there and was letting her stay with them. She had called him Friday afternoon to let him know that she had gotten there but he hadn't heard from her since. He knew that she would be busy but that didn't stop him from thinking about her constantly.

He heard someone behind him as he stood at the ocean's edge looking out. He looked over his shoulder planning on telling the person off when he saw Bella standing few feet away. She had her hands in her pockets giving him an easy smile. He turned towards her and she crossed the distance between them.

"I missed you," she said as he pulled her into his arms.

"I missed you too."

"What did you do all weekend?"

"Studied, then studied some more, and then I studied until my brain was full."

"That sounds like fun," she said sarcastically.

"Oh it was a blast. I didn't have anything else to do, no one to talk to. I was ready to shoot myself half an hour ago."

"I'm sorry," she said as she brushed her fingers down the side of his face.

"Help me study? I feel like I can't remember anything."

"Sure. When was the last time you checked the University of Washington website to see if you've gotten in?"

"Last Monday, when you got your letter," he said with a sigh.

"Maybe you could try again, since you opted to find out online rather than receive a letter."

"I'll look when we get back," he said as he draped an arm over her shoulders.

They walked back to his house in silence and his mom gave Bella a kind smile before he pulled her into his room. He turned on his computer as Bella picked up the papers from the floor.

"Did a tornado come through here?" she asked.

"Yeah a tornado named Embry, I was frustrated. You don't have to clean it up. I'll do it."

"I don't mind," she said as he did something on his computer.

The University of Washington website was displayed on his computer as she sat down next to him. He looked at it unsurely like he was scared to find out. She picked up the laptop and put it in her lap before typing in his email address and password. She read the entire message before turning to look at him. She showed no emotion as he looked at her.

"I didn't get in?" he asked as he looked crestfallen.

"You did," she said with a shake of her head giving him a small smile.

He took the laptop from her and read the message for himself.

"Do you want to find out about your scholarship now?" she asked.

He had entered a writing competition at school that promised a full scholarship to the school of his choice. He pulled up his school website and clicked on the right link. He scrolled down until he found what he was looking for.

"Holy shit," he said under his breath.

"What?"

"I got it," he said with a laugh.

Bella laughed before taking the laptop from him. She threw herself at him knocking them both backwards. He stared up at her brushing her hair over her shoulder before leaning up to brush his lips to hers. The kiss was brief because he heard his mom in the hall and Bella reluctantly pulled away from him.

Nadine stood just outside the door looking between the two of them.

"What's with all the noise? I could hear you in the kitchen."

"We were celebrating," Bella said.

"Celebrating what?"

"I got into University of Washington and I got my scholarship."

"Embry that is wonderful!" she said coming into the room.

Bella moved to the side and let them have a moment. Nadine wiped her eyes while Embry rolled his eyes over her shoulder at Bella. She smiled back at him before shrugging her shoulders.

"I am so glad that you found out before I have to go to work. We're going to celebrate tomorrow night."

"Okay," he said with a laugh.

"Invite Jake and Quil over, I'll make a cake."

"I will," he promised.

"I need to go or I'll be late," Nadine said as she pulled herself together.

She left a few minutes later and Embry and Bella lay on his bed side by side.

"Why were you studying so much this weekend?"

"I have a history test tomorrow. It's supposed to be a practice exam. Everything that we've gone over all year is going to be on it."

"Is your teacher insane?"

"No, he just likes to torture us," he said with a sneer.

"I can help you study."

"No more, please," he pleaded with a groan.

"I'll make it interesting," she promised.

"Studying is not interesting," he said pointedly.

"You just need to take a different approach to it."

"What approach is that?"

"Every time you get an answer right I'll take off a piece of clothing, every time you get an answer wrong you take something off. It's like strip poker."

"Have you ever tried it before?"

"No, but I know people who have."

"Let's try it," he said grabbing the stack of papers from his nightstand.

"First question, what event started the War of 1812?"

"The British Navy invading America," he answered with a smirk.

Bella took off a shoe and it landed on the floor with a thud.

"I can see how this is going to be. You lied to me, you remember all of this," she said with a glare.

"Not all of it, but it might work in my favor."

"It's a good thing I'm wearing a jacket. Next question, when did Abraham Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address?"

"November 19, 1861."

"Nope," Bella said with a shake of her head.

"What?"

He snatched the paper from her, skimming through the answers.

"I don't think so, that's cheating. It was 1863. You got the day right, but that doesn't count. Take something off," she said taking it back from him.

He pulled his shirt over his head and it landed on his desk chair when he threw it. He got the next four questions right and Bella lost her other shoe, her socks and her belt.

"What state did Lewis and Clark start out in?"

"One of the M states, Missouri?"

"Pennsylvania," she said with a shake of her head.

"I should have known that one," he muttered.

He pulled his belt from its loops as Bella looked for another question to ask him.

"This is an easy one. Which city in Texas was JFK assonated?"

"Dallas. You gave me that one," he said giving her an even look.

"I am allowed to do that," she said as she pulled her arms out of her jacket.

She wrestled her way out of her shirt and pulled it from beneath her jacket.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"I can't give you all of my secrets," she said once she read from the paper again.

"Next?" he asked as he fell back against the pillows.

"Name at least three presidents, in order and not our recent president."

"In order?" he asked as his eyes grew wide.

"Yes."

"Regan, Bush Sr., and Clinton," he said slowly.

"Very good," she said as she undid her jeans.

"That's going to be distracting."

"I have to turn the tables in my favor. You've only gotten two questions wrong and I'm running out of clothes. Who shot Bobby Kennedy?"

"Sirhan Sirhan."

He folded his arms over his chest and gave her a cocky smile as she unzipped her jacket. She let it fall to the floor all the while watching him from underneath her lashes.

"Things just got very interesting," he said as his voice filled with lust.

"I forfeit," she said quietly.

"Is that allowed?"

"Yes, it just means that you get to do whatever you want with me."

He crossed the short distance between them to lean over her. His fingers trailed down her arm as he took her in. This was as far as they had ever gotten. She had seen him in just boxers more times than he could count but this was the least amount of clothes that she had ever worn in front of him. He didn't know where to start. She moved beneath him getting his attention. His eyes locked with hers, she was giving him a curious look.

"I'm just taking you in. There's a lot to take in."

"Meaning?" she asked with a shy laugh.

"You're beautiful," he said almost inaudibly.

Her hands cupped his neck pulling his head down. She leaned up to meet him half way and his lips were slow and gentle on hers. His tongue passed her lips with very little force igniting a slow burn that started in her stomach and moved its way down to her toes. Her hands moved down his back as the kiss deepened. He pulled away from her with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't have a condom."

"That's okay. We can just fool around tonight."

"That's what I was hoping you would say," he said leaning down to her lips once more.

Her hands which were still on his back moved lower to hook into the back of his boxers. She pushed them down to his knees before he was able to kick them off. He pulled her up to reach behind her to unclasp her bra then push it down her arms. His hands were between them cupping her breast before she could blink.

He broke the kiss to lean down and kiss her breasts. Her breath hitched when he latched onto a nipple gently swirling his tongue around the hard nub. Her hands fisted in his hair when he applied more pressure. He pushed her down onto the bed once more before pulling away from her.

His hands roamed down her body leisurely until every curve was embedded into his memory. He noticed a scar behind her knee and made a mental note to ask her how she had gotten it. He hovered over her center before looking up at her. Her eyes were filled with lust for him and that was the encouragement that he needed.

He slipped in a finger while looking at her through hooded eyes. She sighed before trying to move closer to him. He wrapped an arm around her waist to weigh her down before shaking his head. His finger moved in and out of her folds slowly, he didn't want to rush things.

"Do you plan on holding me down forever?"

"Just until I stretch you out a little more, it won't hurt as much next time."

"I can't please you?" she asked.

"Be patient," he said shaking his head as he added another finger.

She fell back against the pillows with a groan making him smile. He wanted it to be about her, he would just have to suffer from the hard on from hell for a little while longer. She grabbed the sheets to keep from fighting him again. Her walls constricted around him seconds later. Her breath hitched as her orgasm took over.

He pulled his arm from beneath her before making his way back up to her. She stared at him intensely, not able to speak. That was what he wanted, her breathless and speechless underneath him. She wrapped her arms around him with a sigh and he leaned down to kiss her.

Her hands roamed down his back, digging her nails into his flesh gently. Once she reached the small of his back her hands moved to his sides. Her tongue swept into his mouth as her hand wrapped around his erection making him moan deep in his throat. The kiss slowed and she started to move her hand up his erection, her thumb running over the slit to spread the precum that had leaked out.

She pulled away from the kiss and put her free hand on his shoulder.

"Roll over," she said meeting his gaze.

He rolled over still holding on to her. She pulled herself out of his grasp and her eyes made their way down his body. She kissed the hollow of his neck before moving to his chest. She kissed both pecs before moving to his stomach all the while her hand hadn't stopped moving. Her hair fell in a curtain over her shoulders as she leaned down to take him into her mouth. He pushed her hair over one shoulder before fisting his hands in her hair. He set the pace and she was able to match it easily.

"You've never done this before, huh?" he asked huskily.

She smiled around his erection but didn't stop. She cupped his balls, massaging them gently. He sighed pleasurably making her look up at him. His eyes were clouded over with lust the way hers had been a few minutes before. She had made that look happen. A sense of power and lust swelled inside her because he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

"Okay, back off, unless you want to swallow your first time," he said pulling at her shoulders.

She let him fall from her mouth and moved her hand back to his erection before making her way back up to him. Her hand kept a steady pace as she locked eyes with him. He stared at her lovingly before cupping her neck with one hand. She let him pull her down to him and he kissed her gently.

His climax was building up inside of him as he moaned once more into her mouth, loving the feeling of her hands on him. His hand moved down her stomach to her center and he slipped two fingers into her folds. She sighed against his lips as he moved his fingers in and out in a steady motion.

He pulled away from the kiss to look into her eyes once more. He wanted her to see him when he finally went over the edge. She smiled down at him just as he constricted beneath her hand. His semen ran through her fingers and down to his stomach and she reached to the floor to grab something to wipe it up.

"It can wait," he said stopping her.

He added a third finger, feeling her stretch even farther. He wouldn't have to do that much when the time came so that put his fears of hurting her at ease. She moved her body to meet his fingers, arching her back to make him go deeper. Her exposed neck was too much of a temptation and he cupped it once more before leaning in to the hollow of her neck.

He kissed her neck gently, not wanting to leave a mark; that could wait until later. She moaned and he felt the vibration against his mouth. He never knew that something like that would turn him on. Her walls constricted around his fingers again and her juices covered him once more. She fell back against the bed with a grunt and he rolled over on his side to look down at her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"My insides feel like rubber, but other than that I'm good."

"That's what it's supposed to feel like," he said before kissing the corner of her mouth.

"I didn't say that I didn't like it," she said rolling her eyes.

"You'd better not," he said poking her playfully in the side.

"Right now I just want to go to sleep."

"Go ahead, I'm gonna take a shower," he said before climbing over her to get off the bed.

"Hey."

"Yeah?" he asked from the door.

"I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a smile.

Bella heard the shower start as she got situated underneath the covers. She drifted off to sleep to the sounds of cicadas and frogs outside his open window. Luckily they hadn't been that loud, but she would make sure that the window was closed next time.

Embry came back into the room a few minutes later and was quiet as he pulled on his boxers from earlier. The sight of her naked in his bed was another picture that he would store away never to forget again. He climbed into bed as carefully as he could so that he wouldn't wake her. He lay on his side with an arm draped over her stomach before closing out the rest of the world. He let fatigue, Bella's even breathing and the sounds from outside lull him to sleep. He didn't need anything else.


	24. Sanity Amongst Chaos

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Embry looked through the kitchen window to see Bella lying in the hammock. The past few days had been crazy and hectic and he had only seen her at night. She was helping Sue with the wedding. She had gone furniture shopping with Charlie the other night. She had worked almost every single day of the last three weeks on top of preparing for college. He spent most of his time with his mom because she was being clingy and needy. He had a feeling that it might happen, so he was going to let her do it while she still could.

He opened the back door, quietly making his way across the yard. He came to stand over her casting a shadow over her upper half. She was sound asleep. The noise from next door filtered over the fence and he could hear Charlie teaching Seth the technique of lighting charcoals. The Clearwater house was more crowded than normal since tomorrow was Easter.

The only upside to the situation was that Bella had been asked to give up her spot in Leah's room. Leah's younger cousins had taken over the room and Leah was forced to sleep on the couch. Nadine had been more than understanding when Embry had explained that Bella needed a place to stay for the next week while Sue's family stayed through Spring Break.

Bella slept in his room while he slept in the living room, at least that's what his mom thought. He would make his way into his bed at some point in the night or Bella would climb onto the sofa bed with him. Nadine had yet to suspect anything.

He made his way across the yard to the fence and opened the door that separated both yards.

"Where's Bells?" Charlie asked.

"She's asleep in the hammock."

"Sue's had her on call for the past few weeks. She wants her opinion on everything. I'll talk to her about it."

"It's not that she minds, it just keeps her up at night."

"Sue doesn't sleep well when I work at night. She worries about me," Charlie said.

"I can understand that."

"Embry, is Bella next door?" Sue asked through the open back door.

"Lie," Seth said just loud enough for Embry to hear.

"She's sleeping," he said with a shake of his head as he fought the urge to laugh.

"I can call Leah and ask her to pick up some ice. It's not a big deal," Sue said before closing the door again.

Charlie went back inside and Embry followed Seth to the picnic table in the middle of the yard. They sat on the table with their feet resting on the bench.

"You lie to your mom?"

"Only when I have to, she's driving everybody crazy."

"She's just wants everything to be nice."

Seth shook his head before reaching behind them to open the cooler. He handed Embry a Coke before grabbing one for him. They watched a row boat pass in the distance before Bella came to sit beside Embry. She laid her head on his shoulder and he draped an arm over her shoulder.

"You got saved from doing something for my mom," Seth said.

"What did she need?"

"It doesn't matter, Leah's doing it," Embry answered.

"Bella Honey, can you come in here?" Sue asked through the open window.

"Pretend you're sleeping. Ignore her," Seth whispered anxiously.

"I'll be right there," Bella said once she had smacked Seth's leg.

She kissed Embry's cheek before pulling away from him. The back door clicked shut before Seth turned to face him.

"She's a saint," Seth said shaking his head.

"She is that," Embry said in agreement.

"I heard your got accepted into the University of Washington like her."

"I found out last week."

"That's cool. The two of you will finally have some time alone."

"Things will settle down soon. It's just because your mom and her dad are getting married in a month."

"Can you handle another month of craziness?"

"I'll have to. I'll have the whole summer to deconstruct."

"That is a bonus."

Spending the entire summer with Bella would be a bonus. They had made the decision to hold off on sleeping together until everything was over. It was hard finding more than half an hour of alone time unless it was at night. Someone always needed one of them whether if it was his mom, her dad, Sue, or one of their friends. Something always stopped them from getting intimate. It was more than a little frustrating.

Bella was back outside helping Sue set the patio table.

"Okay boys, I need you to put this table cloth on the table. It is officially not a place for you to sit. There's some tape to tape it down with in the bag," Sue said walking over to them with a plastic bag.

Seth groaned while Embry took the bag from Sue. Embry got the table cloth out of the bag while Seth cleaned off the table. A few minutes later they were heading inside when Charlie called Embry's name from the grill. Seth shrugged his shoulders before walking through the back door.

"Did you need me for something?" Embry asked as he stood next to Charlie.

"I wanted to talk to you about this summer."

"What about it?"

"I wanted to give Bella some money to go towards it, but I know that she won't take it, so I thought that if I gave it to you, made it look like a graduation present she wouldn't say no."

Embry nodded, knowing that Charlie was right. Bella wouldn't take any money from Charlie.

"I would still get you something else including the money."

"You don't have to do that."

"How much are you thinking that it would cost to travel across country for the summer?"

"We have four thousand between the two of us saved up so far."

"That's decent. Would three hundred be okay?"

"That would be great."

"Alright, don't let her know that we talked about this. Let's just keep it between us."

"Yes Sir."

Embry walked into the house to find Bella standing at the counter next to Leah who was standing at the stove. He leaned against the counter next to Bella while she chopped vegetables.

"What did my dad want?" she asked without looking at him.

"He wanted to know what I wanted for graduation. I told him that it didn't matter."

She nodded as she put the vegetables in a bowl. Leah drained the macaroni noodles that she had just cooked in the sink before dumping them into the bowl of vegetables that Bella had just cut. Embry hopped onto the counter and then Leah asked him to grab a platter from the cabinet behind him. She headed out the back door silently and could be seen handing the plate to Charlie. Bella added mayonnaise and cheese to the vegetables and noodles and once she had mixed it together she asked Seth to take it outside. She turned to lean against the counter and noticed that the room was empty.

"We're alone," she said in astonishment.

"Do you want to take advantage of it?"

"Everybody will see."

"Not if we go to Leah's room."

"Come on," she said taking hold of his hand.

Leah's room looked like a seven year olds dream. There were toys and play high heels littering the floor and her desk sparkled from the glitter that Claire and Leah's cousin Lena had spilt.

"Aren't you glad you got out while you could?" he asked.

"That glitter is going to take forever to get up. Leah is going to be so pissed."

"That's not our problem," he said pulling her to the bed.

He shoved a stuffed horse and a pillow pet shaped like a purple ladybug off the bed. Bella sat down first while Embry shut the door.

"We only have a few minutes before someone comes looking for us."

"That's all I need," he said before sitting down next to her.

He leaned in, cupping her neck before brushing his lips to hers. His tongue swept into her mouth before she could close her eyes. The kiss was slow, gentle and smooth and was exactly what they needed. Most of the kisses that they had shared recently either ended before they could get very far or were so intense that they turned into a grope fest.

She sighed against his lips as his fingers massaged the base of her neck. Her arms slid over his shoulders before she linked her hands together. She felt herself relax against him as he loosened the tense muscles of her neck and shoulders. His hands moved down her back before pushing her shirt up. His fingers slowly worked the tense places at the small of her back with his nimble fingers. She moaned in appreciation as his fingers skimmed across her back to her sides.

The kiss deepened as her fingers threaded into his hair. His hands snaked their way up her stomach to caress her breasts through her bra. She put a hand on his shoulder before pulling away.

"Stop right there," she mumbled.

"Why?" he whined.

"Because you are starting something that you can't finish," she reminded him.

"You're right," he said with a sigh.

"Not that I didn't appreciate it, because I did. I love that you can't keep your hands off of me. It's empowering, but you are going to have to control yourself until later."

"Can you see into the future so that you can ensure me that we will have time later?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm not Alice, so I can't make you any guarantees. But I am going to try like hell to make it happen," she said before kissing him quickly.

He nodded as he pulled his hands from underneath her shirt. She missed the contact immediately and put a hand on his knee in sympathy. He took the hand and linked it with his before pulling her from off the bed. They came outside just as Charlie said that the steaks and hamburgers were done.

"Did the two of you get a little alone time?" Leah asked when she came to stand next to Bella in the food line.

"We got a few minutes in."

"That's not long enough to add up to anything. You need to put your foot down and tell everybody to leave you alone."

"I can't tell your mom and my dad no. I'll be gone for the entire summer and then I'll only be home for a week or two before leaving for college. They just want to spend as much time with me as possible before I leave. It's the same way with Embry's mom."

"Still, I would go stir crazy if I were you."

"We're already going stir crazy," Embry said with a roll of his eyes.

Bella nodded her agreement to Leah as they moved up in the line. Leah shook her head in disapproval as she grabbed a plate from off the table. She was going to talk to her mom about cutting Bella some slack. She knew that her mom needed help planning the wedding, but Sue was asking Bella her opinion on everything. Sue was nervous which in turn made Leah and Bella nervous. Everyone was going to need some downtime once the wedding was over to get back in touch with reality.

XXXX

Embry and Bella lay on the hammock when they heard someone come out of the house next door. Bella gripped his hand tightly praying that it wasn't Sue or her dad. The person opened the door in the fence and could be heard walking across the yard.

"So, is this how you're going to spend your spring break?" Allison asked.

"If I can manage it," Embry said.

"I did not stay an extra day here so that the two of you could stay out here."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Bella asked.

"Get your swim suits on. I'll be back in twenty minutes," she said before walking away.

"Do you think she was serious?" Embry asked.

"Don't be ready to leave when I come back. See what happens," Allison called before closing the door to the fence behind her.

"Come on," Bella said before sitting up.

Allison was back in exactly twenty minutes with Jacob. Quil was walking up the road when they got out of Jacob's car.

"What is going on?" Quil asked as he leaned against Jacob's car.

"We're going to the beach," Allison said.

"That sounds great for you guys, but I think I'll pass," Quil said with a shake of his head.

Allison pulled him towards Sue's and they walked into the backyard.

"Are you going to tell her no? She has been looking forward to going to the beach since last night. You are all she has talked about since she woke up this morning. She loves you," she said, pointing to Claire.

"You got me where it hurts," he said as Claire came running towards him.

"You ready to go Baby Girl?" Allison asked.

"I'm ready!" Claire said excitedly.

"Go and put her in the car. I'm gonna go get Bells," Allison said opening the back door.

Allison walked through the house hearing noise coming from every direction. She walked down the hall to Leah's room hearing Leah cursing. She leaned against the door watching Leah gathering clothes from off the floor.

"What happened?"

"Lena decided to play dress up," Leah said in disdain.

"Lena did this?"

"Oh yes, and then she left me to clean it up."

"I would talk to Aunt Sheila."

"Trust me, I am," Leah said as she slammed one of her dresser drawers shut.

"Do you feel like coming to the beach with us?"

"I have plans," Leah said with a shake of her head.

"Are these the plans that Aunt Sue made you cancel yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen Bella?"

"She's changing in the bathroom."

"I'll see you later," Allison said pushing away from the door.

The bathroom door opened as she made her way down the hall. Bella came out wearing a tank top and shorts. The strings of her purple bikini top that were tied around her neck rounded off her outfit.

"You ready to go?"

"As ready as I can be. Sorry I took so long, Lena went through my clothes. I had to search for my bathing suit."

"Leah is still cleaning up the aftermath of Hurricane Lena."

"She is a handful. She was giving me the evil eye because I hugged Embry yesterday."

"Aww, she has a crush on him?" Allison asked with a laugh.

"She told him that she thought he was cute."

"She's just a kid, I wouldn't worry about it."

"I'm not."

The girls made their way across the yard to find the guys loading Embry and Jacob's cars. A few minutes later they were headed to the beach. Embry looked at Bella out of the corner of his eye and she gave him a weird look.

"What?"

"I didn't think you owned a bikini."

"I just got it."

"That's going to be distracting."

"No funny business today. There's a three year old watching us."

"Then you shouldn't tease me," he said with a sigh.

Bella laughed as she shook her head. They pulled into the beach parking lot which was packed even at the early hour. Claire ran towards the shore with Quil close behind her. Her laughter was carried back to the other four as they ran farther down the beach. Bella pulled her shirt over her head before reaching into her bag for her sunscreen. She was starting to get a decent tan, but she didn't want to take the chance and ruin it by getting sunburn because she was careless.

She spread the lotion over her legs, arms, then stomach while Embry watched her. He always watched her; she had to admit if the tables were turned that she would be watching him too.

"Thank you for being patient," she said holding the bottle out to him.

He took it with a smile before coming to sit behind her. He started at the small of her back massaging the lotion in before making his way up her back.

"That makes me wish that I had to wear sunscreen," Allison said with a sigh.

"I would gladly do that for you," Jacob said sliding an arm over her shoulders.

"I know you would," she said giving him a teasing smile.

Embry squeezed Bella's shoulders lightly once he was done.

"Thank you," she said turning her head to look at him.

"No thanks needed," he said as he put the lotion back in her bag.

Claire and Quil were coming back and she held something in each hand. When they got to them Claire handed Bella a flower then handed the other to Allison. She had an identical one in her hair. The guys tossed a football around while the girls set up their towels and talked.

"So, how are things? I haven't talked to you in a while."

"Things are good. A little hectic, your grandmother sprung the surprise engagement party from last night on Leah and I, we only had three days to put it together. Sue's getting nervous because the wedding is a little over a month away. She wants everything to be perfect, I can understand that. With Leah working so much she hasn't had a lot of time to help her mom so a lot of it falls on me. I got a call from Sue at two o' clock this morning because she couldn't find the list of dress and tux sizes for the bridal party."

"Did she find it?"

"I told her exactly where it was."

"How are you and Embry doing?"

"We are doing great. He keeps me sane and I keep him from pulling his hair out when his mom won't leave him alone. I'm pretty sure my dad would be the same way if he didn't have so much else going on."

"She's losing her only child, that's understandable."

"We don't have a lot of time together except when we're at work or at night, by that time I'm so worn out that all I want to do is sleep. So needless to say that he hasn't seen any real action in over a week. We fool around, but we haven't slept together yet. Am I saying too much?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"No. I'm glad that I got the two of you away from all of that for the day. It took me a long time to talk Naomi into taking your place for the day."

"I'll babysit Claire and Tonya for her tomorrow. That should make it right."

The boys came back and Jacob and Embry sat on either side of Bella while Quil sat on Embry's other side. Claire climbed into his lap and laid her head on his shoulder. Embry's arm closest to Bella stretched out on the sand behind her and she leaned against his shoulder. He kissed her temple making her smile. Getting away from their parents and Sue was just what they needed to unwind.

XXXX

Leah sat out front of the country club waiting for Julian. She hadn't had to do much to get the day off. She had promised her boss that she would pull a double tomorrow to make up for today. She looked at the clock on her dashboard for the second time in thirty seconds. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye making her turn to the right.

Julian was walking towards her in the drizzle with his hands shoved into his pockets. Most of his body was hidden in his jacket to ward off the chill that still lingered from the long hard winter. She stepped out of her car and slowly made her way to him. His head was cast down with the collar of his jacket half hiding his face.

"Hey," she said getting his attention.

"Hey," he said as he looked up.

"Do you want to take my car or yours?"

"Yours is fine," he said walking around the front of it.

She got back in and was quiet as she started the car. While she had been open and forthcoming with information about herself he hadn't given her much information about himself. She understood that he was shy and had come to accept that she was going to have to be patient. She hadn't scared him off yet so she would just have to wait it out.

"What did you want to do today?" she asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"I have some work that I need to do, but I thought that I would bring you along."

"Why would you do that?" she asked furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"Are you going to turn down a free meal?" he asked with a teasing smile.

"No, but just so you know, I eat a lot."

"This restaurant is known for serving four course meals. Should that be enough?"

"It will work. I don't expect you to pay for me if it's going to be expensive. I can stop somewhere and get money from an ATM."

"I won't be paying for it either," he said with a shake of his head.

Leah let the conversation drop as he gave her directions. Outside the restaurant a valet opened her door for her. He handed her a card before she followed Julian into the restaurant.

"Julian Tyler, I have a reservation," he told the hostess.

"Right this way Mr. Tyler."

"Julian this place is really nice. I feel underdressed," she whispered apprehensively.

"What you're wearing is fine," he said after looking over his shoulder to give her a once over.

The hostess sat them then took their drink orders. Leah looked over the menu her eyes growing wide at the prices that were listed.

"Order whatever you want," Julian said looking over his own menu.

"These prices are insane. They're asking thirty dollars for a steak dinner."

"Don't worry about the price."

"Are you planning on teaching me the art of dine and dash?"

"No," he said as the corner of his lip pulled back into a half smile.

"What is going on?" she asked as she set down her menu.

"Maybe I should explain. I am a restaurant critic."

"So the restaurant is paying for our food in hopes that you'll give them a good review?"

"When I am working I usually do get my food for free."

"Have you ever written a review for the Country Club?"

"That is how I saw you for the first time. You were on your job interview. I went in three nights a week for two weeks before someone told me that you usually work the day shift."

"You saw me before the first day I saw you?" she asked.

"I guess I should have told you that before now," he said laughing nervously.

"It's fine. I just wish that you had told me sooner."

He nodded as the waitress came back with their drink orders.

"Have the two of you decided what you want to order yet?"

"I'll start with the Caesar salad, then the broccoli soup, how is the smoked salmon?" Julian asked.

"It's very fresh Sir," she reassured him.

"Alright, I'll have that and the Crème Brule for desert."

"And you Ma'am?"

"The spring salad to start, and the lentil soup, then the porter house Steak, could I get that medium rare?"

"Sure."

"I'll have a slice of Black Forest cake for desert."

"I'll be right back with your appetizers."

"I like a girl who's not afraid to eat. Where do you put it all?" he asked with a laugh.

"I have a fast metabolism. Most of it is more than likely going to go home with me," she said with a shy smile.

"Oh trust me; I won't be able to eat all that I ordered either," he said in a reassuring tone.

"So what else am I going to learn about you today?" she asked before taking a sip of her drink.

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know. You're so guarded with information. I never know what to ask."

"I appreciate that you respect my privacy. I promise you I have a valid reason for holding things back. When I'm ready I will unload it on you, then you won't be able to get me to shut up."

"We'll start off simple. You said that you were from Virginia, what part?"

"I'm originally from Powhatan. I moved around a couple of times as a kid before settling down in Chesterfield when I was eight. I lived there until I was twenty six before moving to Richmond. Richmond is a lot like Seattle, it's very busy and there's a lot of noise. I didn't like it as much as Chesterfield. When I first moved to Chesterfield it was a lot like Forks. It was a small town, but it quickly became populated but it still held its small town charm."

"Why did you leave?"

"I wanted to start over."

"Moving across the country is a big stretch just for starting over."

"I had some memories that I didn't want to face at the time. I've dealt with them. Washington has grown on me in the year since I moved here."

"Do you live in Forks?"

"No, I live in Port Angeles."

"I don't even know how old you are," she said with a small laugh.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I'm thirty five."

"That doesn't bother me as much as you think it would. I can handle that," she said with a nod.

"I'm not usually this open. I don't think I've ever talked to someone who is as easy to talk to as you," he said with a smile tugging at his lips.

"You are the first person to ever tell me that," she said with a shy laugh.

"What do people usually say about you?"

"I've been told that I am hard to deal with, and that I can be a bitch."

"I don't see that."

"You bring out a side of me that I've never seen before."

"We could be good for each other."

"I have to say that I agree," she said with a shy smile.

Their food came and they were silent for the first few minutes while they ate.

"I was in a relationship with someone for almost three years. We broke up because he decided that he didn't want to be with me anymore. I later found out that he was dating my cousin. I made their lives miserable for almost two years before I realized how unfair I was being to them. I was putting added stress on their relationship and I had lost my best friend in the process. I am still working to get my relationship with them back on track," Leah said as she pushed her salad away from her.

"It takes a very strong person to put something like that behind them and work towards making a better life for themselves."

"I finally realized that I wasn't Wonder Woman and that I couldn't do everything on my own. I pushed everyone close to me away and put added stress onto my mom in the process. She was getting over the loss of my dad at the time and I made her life miserable."

"I'm sure that she understands that you weren't yourself."

Leah nodded as the waitress came to clear their plates.

"I guess we aren't as different I thought."

"You've been hurt by someone?"

"I was engaged. I moved to Richmond to be with her. Our wedding was less than three weeks away when she told me that she was leaving me for someone else. I had put a lot of money into the wedding, close to thirty thousand dollars. I had nearly gone bankrupt trying to pay for it. She wasn't going to tell me at all but one of our friends had caught her with the guy. I packed up and left without looking back. She had been a part of my life for almost seven years. It took me six months to realize that I was happier without her than I had ever been with her."

"That's not necessarily fair. She hurt you, and you were the one who left."

"I hadn't been happy in the relationship in a while. I thought that getting married would help things. I saw a way out and I took it," he said with a shrug.

"I guess I can understand that," she said with a nod.

He had been hurt even deeper than she had been and he was doing a lot better than she was. Maybe his laid back attitude towards life would rub off on her. She knew that she needed to be honest with him but she was scared of what he might think. She had never cared what people thought of her before. Then again, no one had mattered as much as he did. She would have to face her fears and tell him soon or he would only end up getting hurt.


	25. A Brief Reprieve

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**AN: This chapter contains a smidge of lemon. Don't read it if you aren't comfortable with it.**

Leah had been putting off letting her family meet Julian for three weeks. She had hoped that her mom wouldn't want to meet him before the wedding but when Sue had asked Leah to invite him to the rehearsal dinner she hadn't been able to get out of it.

"Are you ashamed of us? Is he so antisocial that you think we would drive him away?" Sue asked as Leah set the table one night.

"Yes and yes," Leah answered not looking up from what she was doing.

"You had better be joking young lady. I am not asking for a lot. I would like to meet him," Sue said in a motherly tone.

"You'll meet him at the wedding Mom," Leah stated.

"I'm sure that if you would just ask him he would be happy to come over to meet all of us," she reasoned.

"He works odd hour's mom. I never know when he's going to be free or not," Leah explained.

"What exactly does he do?"

"He's a food critic who writes not only for a newspaper based out of Seattle but Food and Wine magazine."

"So he travels a lot?" Sue prodded.

"Yes," Leah said evenly.

"You can't even call him and ask?" Sue asked, hurt.

"I'll see what I can do," Leah said with a defeated sigh.

"That's all that I am asking for," Sue said as she went back to slicing bread for dinner.

The front door opened and Charlie came in taking off his holster and hanging it up in the front hall. Leah was able to slip out of the room when Charlie came in to greet Sue. She was in her room waiting for Julian to pick up the phone a few seconds later.

"Hey. I was just about to call you."

"I am going to ask you something, I will understand if you say no, but my mom really wants to meet you," she explained in one breath.

"She wants me to come over?" he asked slowly.

"Yes. I know that the last thing you want to do on your only day off this week is meet my family and my soon to be family but my mom laid a guilt trip on me," she pleaded.

"I'll be there," he promised.

"You will?" she asked in surprise.

"Sure. What time?" he asked in a good natured tone.

"My mom makes Sunday dinner every Sunday after church and everybody will be here then. We usually eat at five," she explained.

"You go to church?" he asked in intrigue.

"When I'm not working," she explained.

"I haven't been to a Sunday dinner since I moved here. I was starting to miss it," he reasoned with a light laugh.

"I cannot thank you enough for doing this," she said appreciatively.

"It's not a problem. Are you working tomorrow night?"

"No. I work Friday night."

"Then I'll come in then."

They talked for a few more minutes before he said that he had to go. Her mom was standing at the door with her arms folded over her chest.

"He's coming on Sunday. Please do not embarrass me," Leah pleaded.

"I'll try. I cannot make any guarantees that Seth won't," Sue promised.

"Then talk to him. Because if you don't, he will mysteriously turn up missing," Leah threatened with a growl.

"You can't kill him," Sue reasoned.

"Please talk to him?" she pleaded once more.

"Fine," Sue said rolling her eyes.

The two of them walked into the kitchen to eat dinner. Bella, Embry, Jacob, and Billy came through the door as everyone was standing at the counter making their plates. Leah clutched Bella's arm tightly to get her attention. Bella looked up in surprise before Leah let go.

"Did that hurt?"

"A little," Bella mumbled dejectedly as she rubbed her arm.

"Sorry. Please tell me that you are off on Sunday," Leah begged.

"I'm off on Sunday," Bella confirmed.

"Thank God. Julian is coming to dinner."

"And you need me to help you keep everybody in line," Bella said in acknowledgement.

"I'll love you forever," Leah promised.

"Sure."

Dinner was filled with talking and laughter and once it was over the family split into four directions. Jacob and Bella went back to his house so that she could help him study for exams while the parents stayed in the kitchen. Embry and Seth went back to his house to hang out and Leah went into the living room to watch TV.

At Jacob's Bella had his English binder in her lap; going through his notes and worksheets trying to make up a test for him. His organizational skills hadn't improved, nothing was kept together. She couldn't blame him; he'd had a lot to deal with in the past year. So much had changed since the beginning of the year. She thought back to September when school had first started only to realize that it had only been eight short months since they broke up. She and Embry had been together since January, only four months ago. All three of them had had to adjust to a lot of changes in the last year.

She looked up from what she was doing to see him staring at her. The look of friendship was back in place as he smiled at her. She gave him an unsure look before sitting the pen that she had down.

"We haven't really hung out without Embry or Allison around in a while. I thought that this would be weird," he stated to get her attention.

"I can call Embry and ask him to come over if hanging out with me bothers you," she said giving him a hurt look.

"It doesn't. It just reminds me of when you first came back," he reassured her.

"Before you had feelings for me," she stated in understanding.

"Yeah, it's nice. I'm glad that things are normal again," he said honestly.

Bella nodded before going back to what she was doing. He put a hand on her arm to get her attention again.

"Did you honestly think that being alone with you bothered me?"

"I don't know. You're harder to read than you used to be," she said not looking up from the paper that she was reading.

"You are too," he said quietly.

"Embry doesn't have a problem knowing what I'm thinking," she said, shrugging her shoulders indifferently.

"Allison always knows what I'm thinking too. I guess it's just something that we'll have to get used to," he thought out loud.

Bella nodded again before sighing. She had thought that they were making progress until he had brought up that things had changed between them. She would have to work on being more open with him. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she turned a page. He stood to go to the refrigerator and came back to sit a can of Pepsi in front of her.

"Thanks," she said reaching for it.

They fell into silence again until she finished. She handed him the test before looking around the room. It had been at least a month since she had been here. Usually Jacob and Billy spent their time at Sue's or Jacob came over to Embry's. The kitchen had been painted recently; she could still smell the paint fumes faintly.

The counters had been redone as well. The old counters had reminded her of something out of the seventies. They had been yellow linoleum that had seen better days. Now they were a light granite color and the walls were a bright yellow color. Her eyes moved to the living room to notice that the once white walls were now burgundy. Jacob cleared his throat getting her attention.

"You guys have done some remodeling," she observed.

"Last weekend, I spent Friday night painting the living room and in here then Sam came over yesterday to do the counters," he explained.

"It looks good."

"Dad wants to get the floor redone in here when he has some more money saved."

Bella nodded before he went back to his test. She stood to grab an apple from the counter when she saw Billy's truck lights in the yard. Jacob went out to help him and Billy said goodnight before going back to his room.

Jacob handed the paper back to her and she looked over it, marking what needed to be fixed. He had only missed four questions. She set it to the side before picking up his science binder.

"Do we really have to work on science? I'm failing it," he asked with a groan.

"Then we'll save it for tomorrow when we have more time to work on it. How do you feel about math?"

He made gagging noises before rolling his eyes.

"I'm not great at math either, but Embry is. So maybe the two of you can work on it in study hall tomorrow," she said reaching for his history binder.

"I don't need any help in history. It's the only class I'm getting an A in."

"Well then my work here is done," she said closing the binder.

She gathered her things together while he cleaned up the table. He walked her to the door and opened it before stopping her. She looked up in confusion.

"Thank you for helping me," he said looking down at her.

"You don't have to thank me. I was happy to do it," she said giving him a smile.

He pulled her to him, taking her by surprise. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she rested her head against his chest. All of the feelings from when they were together were gone to be replaced with a feeling of friendship. She hugged her other friends, why should she exclude Jacob? She was the first to pull away and he slowly pulled his arms from around her. She stepped out onto the porch and he leaned against the doorjamb to watch her.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said over her shoulder.

He nodded; wanting to make sure she got into her car before shutting the door. He made his way back to his room, turning out lights along the way. He was glad to have his room back. He had been elated when Rachel decided to find an apartment close to where she worked in Port Angeles. Now if only she had taken Paul with her, than his life would be so much easier.

XXXX

Bella came home from work on Saturday to find the hallway lined with empty boxes. It was hard to walk around them and she caught her foot on the corner of one making her lurch forward. She grabbed the wall outside Seth's room seconds before she stumbled to the floor. He stuck his head out the door giving her a worried look.

"I'm fine," she said when she found her voice.

"I'll move them. I guess I should have listened when Mom said to move them earlier," he said in reassurance.

"That would have been a good idea," she said laughing lightly.

Leah was in their room working on her computer when she came in. She hadn't minded when Leah had asked her if she could use it to look for another job. She toed off her shoes while Leah typed.

"Any luck?"

"I found a couple of prospects."

The club was under new management and someone had been making false claims about Leah so she was now forced to either go through a new training course about working well with others and following orders or find another job. She found it hard to believe that no one would back her up about the story that she had stolen a bottle of bourbon from the bar or that she was having someone else clock her out after she had left so that she could get overtime. She didn't need to put up with that.

Bella changed while Leah shut down the computer. Leah turned to face Bella giving her a once over. She was wearing a white V-neck t-shirt and form fitting faded jeans with brown flip flops.

"Aren't you going to Jake's to help him study?" Leah asked in confusion.

"Yeah," Bella answered unsurely, a worry line creasing her forehead.

"I used to wear clothes like that when I went to see Sam," Leah stated.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Bella asked.

"Your shirt comes down too low," Leah explained.

Bella came to stand at the mirror and her eyes widened in surprise. She went back to the closet and pulled out a purple t-shirt. She held it out for Leah to inspect.

"That one's fine as long as you wear your white tank top underneath it," Leah said approvingly.

"Thanks," Bella said pulling the shirt over her head.

She grabbed the tank top out of her dresser drawer and put it on before quickly pulling the purple shirt over top of it.

"I should be back for dinner."

"I'll let Mom know."

Bella walked to Jacob's since her dad was changing the brake pads on her car in the front yard. She said goodbye to him as she passed and he waved from beneath the car.

At Jacob's he was on the phone when he let her in. She grabbed a soda from the refrigerator before sitting at the table. She picked up the folder that was in the center of the table and started going through it. They had a lot of work ahead of them. Every paper that she looked over had red writing in the side margins and the grades at the top were never above sixty. Jacob came to sit across from her silently.

"You weren't kidding when you said that you were failing," she said discerningly.

"Is there any hope for me?" he asked, embarrassed.

"Sure. I had a friend in Phoenix who was so behind that they were in danger of having to take the class over again next year. I started tutoring them and they passed for the year with a seventy I think. You aren't that bad," she reassured him.

"Was it close to the end of the school year?" he asked, uneasy.

"There were still a few months of school left. I'm sure that if you asked your teacher about doing extra credit to bring up your grade they would be able to help you out," she reasoned.

"There's only three weeks of school left," he said with a sigh.

"I know. I'll help you. It can't hurt to talk to them," she acknowledged.

"I'll talk to them on Monday," he promised glumly.

"Good. Now, I need to call Sue and tell her that I won't be home for dinner. This could take a while," she said opening her phone.

She looked through the binder as she talked to Sue. Once she was off the phone she sorted out the paperwork and handed him his science book.

"Start off by correcting your work. All of the stuff is in there and most of it is labeled where you can find it. It shouldn't take you long," she explained.

Jacob's facial expression turned to a grimace and his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

"It's not that bad. If you'd told me that you were having this much trouble I would have helped you before now," she said putting a hand on his arm.

He nodded as he flipped through the book. She pulled her hand away before standing from the table. She looked through the cabinets then the pantry looking for something that she could give him. She was hoping the promise of a break later and food would push him to get the work done. She found a box of popcorn and a bag of peanut butter M&M's and set them on the counter for later. She grabbed a soda from the refrigerator then set it in front of him. He opened it and took a pull without looking up from what he was doing.

An hour passed without much complaint from Jacob. He'd asked for her help for answers that he couldn't find. She would point him in the right direction without giving him the answer. She wanted the information to register, not just give him the answer. That would be taking the easy way out. He finally pushed the binder across the table with a sigh of relief.

"Was that so hard?" she teased.

"I've read so much that my eyes feel like they're about to pop out of my head," he mumbled.

"Are you ready for a break?"

"What did you have in mind?" he enquired, his interest piqued.

"I found some popcorn earlier M&M's earlier. I can make you a snack," she offered.

"That sounds good."

Bella made three bags of the popcorn before dumping them into the biggest bowl she could find. She poured the M&M's in between each bag of popcorn before bringing the bowl to the table. She grabbed him another soda and a bottle of water for herself before sitting down again. They ate the popcorn in silence while she made him a test. She slid the binder back in front of him and told him to go over everything while she worked on the test. He didn't complain but he didn't do it willingly.

Every few seconds he would heave a frustrated sigh and his hands fisted in his hair as he tried to concentrate. After twenty minutes he pushed the binder towards her again.

"Do you want to go over things before you take the test?"

He nodded as his lips formed a tight line.

"When did the first man walk on the moon?"

"Buzz Aldren?"

"Neil Armstrong," she said with a shake of her head.

"Which planet is closest to earth?"

"Saturn."

"It's Venus. What is the element symbol for Nitrogen Oxide?"

"N20."

"Very good," she praised.

"At least I got that one right," he said rolling his eyes.

"It's because you've seen The Fast and the Furious movies so many times. How many layers are there in the earth's core?"

"Four."

"How many times does the sun revolve around the earth in a day?"

"That's a trick question because it takes it a year to rotate around the earth completely."

"Good job, I tried to trick you with that one. Name the oldest active volcano."

"Mt Etna, and it's in Italy."

"I think you're ready to take the test. Do you want to use your book, just in case?"

Jacob shook his head as he took the test from her. She washed the bowl and read through the newspaper that Billy had left on the coffee table in the living room while Jacob worked. She was reading through the wedding announcements when her phone rang. She picked it up from off the table before heading into the other room. It was Embry.

"Hey."

"Hey. How's he doing?"

"Good. We should be done in another hour or so," she said optimistically.

"Do you want to do something later?" he enquired.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked with intrigue.

"I'm making dinner. I figured you hadn't eaten yet," he explained.

"I just had some popcorn but I could eat dinner with you later. What are you making?"

"It's a surprise. Do you think that you'll be able to get out of going to church in the morning?"

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"I got called into work; I figured that we could hang out before I go in," he explained.

"I guess I could make an exception," she said indifferently.

"Thank you," he said with exaggerated gratitude.

"I'll call you before I leave here," she promised.

"I'll see you later."

Jacob was finishing his test when she came back into the room. He was quiet as she looked over it. He was making progress so that was a good sign. He had only missed five of the twenty questions that she had thought to write down.

"If I was your teacher I'd say you got a seventy-five. That's not bad," she praised.

"But it could be better," he said with a sigh.

"You just need to study more. I can come back over Monday if you want," she offered.

"I think I can handle it. If she makes me do a project for extra credit I might need you," he said, turning down the offer.

"Who usually helps you in science?"

"Quil, since he's joined the pack even he's fallen behind. He's just now starting to catch up. I didn't want to throw my problems on top of it."

"I can understand that. After Edward left I thought that I had lost the one chance that I had of passing Math. Since no one was talking to me I had the free time to apply myself three times more than I usually did. I was making straight A's by the time I graduated," she explained.

"I don't think I could have done that," Jacob said with a laugh.

"It's not for everybody. Does Allison help you?"

"She'll talk me through English most nights. She has me reading Chaucer right now," he bragged.

"Chaucer? That's college level. Are you getting anything out of it?" she praised once more.

"A little, she's helping me understand what I have questions with."

"That's good. I couldn't get you to pick up a book this time last year and now look at you. You've changed so much. I'm proud of you," she said with a smile.

"Thanks," he said with a shy smile.

"Have you thought about college?"

"College isn't for me. Allison understands that. I can't leave my dad alone; even if the whole Reservation stepped in to help I would still feel guilty for leaving," he said with remorse.

"You don't want to be like your sisters," she said in recognition.

"Not that I blame them for leaving. But I wish that I had more help from them," he said flatly.

"So what do you want to do?"

"My dad's going to help me start a business once I turn eighteen. If I go to college it would probably be community college so that I could still stay close to home."

"Maybe business school," she offered.

"My dad mentioned that, and Quil says that if I open my own business he'll go into business with me."

"So you won't be going at it alone," she reasoned.

Jacob nodded looking down at his hands. He had done a lot of growing up in the last several months. She had missed out on so much because she had been so wrapped up in Embry and he had been starting a relationship with Allison. They both had different lives now, she was glad that they were making progress towards the tightly bound friendship that they used to have.

XXXX

Bella opened the front door to hear music coming from the living room. She poked her head into the living room after taking off her shoes at the front door. The kitchen was empty but she could smell garlic and something cooking in the oven. She sighed in contentment as she walked down the hall.

Having dinner alone with Embry was just what she needed to end the chaotic week that she'd had. She hadn't seen him for more than an hour a day except for when they worked in almost two weeks. They would talk on the phone just before going to bed at night and that had been enough for her to sleep through the night most nights. There had been a few nights when she had tossed and turned keeping Leah up at night.

She continued down the hall to Embry's room to see him standing in the middle of his room with a towel wrapped around his waist. She smiled as she watched him going through his closet trying to decide what to wear. He held a black long sleeved button down shirt and a red muscle tee up to inspect them.

"I'd go with the black one. It looks better on you," she said breaking the silence.

He put the red shirt back in his dresser before pulling the black shirt off its hanger. He put the hanger back in the closet and put the shirt on but didn't button it before reaching for a pair of boxers. He pulled off the towel off then pulled the boxers on. Like Jacob, he wasn't shy about nudity. She crossed the room to stand behind him after he had pulled on a pair of jeans. Her arms snaked around his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"How did it go with Jake?"

"He's more behind than I thought. I told him that I would help him in every way that I could," she explained.

"I should have noticed it sooner," he murmured with a shake of his head.

"You've had just as many things to worry about as he has. Don't blame yourself. He should have asked for help long before now," she said sympathetically.

"So it's not a lost cause?" he asked hopefully.

"I'll find out Monday. He's supposed to ask his science teacher if there's any extra credit work that he can do so that he can bring his grade up."

"I'll make sure he asks," he offered.

"It's just something else for me to worry about. I don't think he could handle summer school," she mumbled with a sigh.

"He had to go to summer school when we were in the eighth grade for history. He hated getting up so early because he had to be at school at seven," he said with a laugh.

"Wasn't that the year that his mom died?"

"She died in January of that year. Billy blamed himself for what happened with Jake because the girls were already gone and he hadn't seen that Jake needed help," he explained.

"When you think about it the past year and a half has been just as trying on him. It hasn't been easy on you either," she observed.

"You're right," he said turning in her arms.

He cupped her neck with one hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of her neck slowly. He looked down at her with weary eyes and she knew that he was still thinking about Jacob. She was going to do everything she could to take his mind off of their friend. She wrapped her arms around his waist before stepping closer to him. He leaned in tilting his head to meet her lips with a gentle kiss.

He walked them backwards to the bed and the back of his knees hit it within half a second. He sat down pulling her with him. She sat in his lap, straddling him as the kiss deepened. He moaned into her mouth letting her take over. Her hands went in between them before moving underneath his shirt.

Her hands skimmed over his skin in a feather light touch barely touching his skin at all. They came to rest finally on his shoulders, feeling the heat of his skin warm her instantly. His hand fell from her neck to rest at her waist. His fingers touched the exposed skin of the small of her back and he moaned again as her hands kneaded the tense muscles of his shoulders. He pulled away a few inches to rest his forehead against hers.

"I forgot what we were talking about," he said with a sigh.

"Then my plan worked," she said as she kept working on his shoulders.

He gave her a crooked smile as he ran a hand through her hair. She kept her eyes on his with a smile, moving to his neck. His neck was almost as bad as his shoulders. Her fingers worked at the tense spots with determination. He closed his eyes getting lost in the feeling of her fingers on his skin. Once she was done her hands made their way back down his stomach.

"What just happened would not have been as easy if your shirt had been buttoned," she said.

"That's why I kept it open. It was an open invitation for you to touch me," he stated bluntly.

"I didn't realize that I needed one," she said giving him a teasing smile.

He gave her a stern look before picking her up off of him. He walked out of the room and she followed him to the kitchen. He pulled a baking dish out of the oven and was pouring a can of crushed tomatoes over it when Bella came to stand next to him. She hopped onto the counter as he sprinkled cheese over top of the tomatoes then put the dish back into the oven.

He stood in front of her with his hands on her legs. She opened them and he came to stand in between them. Her hands slid over his shoulders pulling him even closer. He kissed her lightly before pulling away.

"You're distracting me again," he warned with a light laugh.

"So my plan is still working?" she asked hopefully.

"It is very hard to tell you no when you're trying so hard," he said sullenly.

"Then stop trying to stop me," she said leaning in again.

"Bells we talked about this. We're going to wait until everything is over. I don't want it to happen just because you need a break from everything that is going on. I want it to mean something," he said putting his hands on her arms with a sigh.

"It will," she promised.

"You're the one who came up with this idea. I wanted to and then you changed my mind, I'm not letting you change it again," he said with a shake of his head.

"Move," she said in a clipped tone.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I asked you to," she said giving him a cold look.

He shook his head with a sigh before moving away from her. She slid down off the counter and made her way down the hall. The bathroom door clicked shut a few seconds later. He gripped the counter as he tried to calm himself down. He hadn't expected her to be so persistent. It took everything he had to tell her no. He didn't know if he would be able to do it again. He willed the erection straining against his pants to go away as he heard the bathroom door open.

He could hear Bella moving around in his room so he made his way down the hall. He shut the bathroom door with a muted thump before falling against it. He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. He was glad that he had put his foot down but he hadn't liked that he'd had to hurt her feelings in the process.

"Hey," Bella called quietly from the other side of the door.

"What?" he asked his voice thick with tension.

"Can I come in so I can apologize?"

He stepped away from the door pulling it open in the process. Bella stood in front of him, her face etched with worry. She moved to stand in front of him and he put a hand up to stop her.

"That isn't the best idea right now," he warned.

"So I did get a reaction out of you," she said looking down at his pants.

"You always do," he said quietly.

"Let me take care of it," she said moving to stand in front of him again.

She unbuttoned then unzipped his jeans before reaching inside his boxers. He let his jeans fall around his ankles before stepping out of them. His resolve had melted as soon as she stepped into the bathroom. Her hand moved in a slow rhythm as he fell against the counter. She kept her eyes on his taking in his features. His face still held the tension from before but it was starting to relax. She quickened her movement wanting him to have release.

His ragged breathing a few minutes later was a welcome sound to the silence filled tension from before. His eyes fluttered closed as he gripped the counters in a vice like grip. Bella quickened her pace, knowing that he was close. His eyes snapped open seconds before his seed spilled into her hand. He heaved a sigh as she pulled her hand away from him to reach for a washrag. She got it wet, more worried about cleaning him up than herself.

He hooked two fingers underneath her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. His lips were on hers before she could blink. She gasped as he forcefully made his way into her mouth. His tongue probed her mouth showing no mercy. She put a hand on his shoulder pushing gently but he refused to back away. She was almost wheezing when he finally pulled away two minutes later.

"I guess we're even," he said with flatly.

"What?" she asked giving him a credulous look.

"You aren't the only one who can mess with people's emotions," he said his voice showing no emotion.

"You know what, I had every intention of apologizing to you when I came in here, but you can forget about it now," she said before spinning around and walking out of the room.

"Wait," he said put a hand on her shoulder to stop her in the hall.

"Let go of me," she said not looking at him.

He came to stand in front of her, cupping her face in his hands.

"Look at me," he pleaded, his voice now apologetic.

Bella looked at the floor as tears stung her eyes. She would have expected this kind of behavior from Edward, but not Embry. The last thing she wanted was to be around him right now.

"Bella please," he pleaded once more.

She shook her head as a tear slid down her cheek.

"I was a jerk and I should have handled that better," he apologized.

"You weren't a jerk, you were honest. I shouldn't have pushed you. I should have left ten minutes ago," she said with a shaky laugh.

"I don't want you to leave," he said shaking his head.

"You don't?" she asked giving him a questioning look from out of the corner of her eye.

"I can't apologize properly if you leave," he said brushing his thumbs over her cheeks to wipe her tears away.

"Edward would react the same way you did when I pushed things too far. He was so controlled, he would make feel horrible about the situation," she said when her eyes finally met his.

"I'm sorry," he said running a hand through her hair.

"I am too," she said with a watery sigh.

He brushed his lips over her forehead once she had pulled herself together. He pulled her into the kitchen without a word. She sat at the table while he checked on dinner. He set the table silently and when he passed her she put a hand on his arm. He put a hand over hers and squeezed it tightly before moving away. He brought dinner to the table a minute later. Bella eyed it curiously when he started cutting into it.

"What is it?"

"Chicken parmesan, it's the only thing I know how to make other than steak, eggs, and toast." he explained.

"Very impressive," she said as she took her plate from him.

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

They ate quietly and her phone rang while she was washing dishes. Embry grabbed it from off the counter because her arms were covered with suds.

"Hey Charlie," he said answering the phone.

Bella listened to his end of the conversation ascertaining that Charlie wanted her to come home. She let the water drain from the sink as he was wrapping up the conversation. He shut her phone while she wiped her hands on a towel.

"I'll come over after everyone is asleep," she said.

He nodded as he handed her phone back to her. She leaned up to put a hand on his shoulder to brace herself before kissing him. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her to him. The kiss lasted less than a minute before he pulled away.

"You should go," he said quietly.

"I'll miss you, even though I'll see you in two hours."

"I'll miss you too," he said with a laugh.

She pulled away from him reluctantly and made her way to the door. She paused at the door to look over her shoulder. He was standing in the kitchen doorway watching her.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," he said with a smile.

She opened the door to the cool May night air and shut it without looking back. She knew that if she looked back one more time she wouldn't have been able to leave him. She was glad that they had put the fight from earlier behind them but that didn't mean that the subject still didn't weigh down on her. She couldn't believe that she had tried to pressure him. She was glad that he had held his ground and told her no. Waiting was the right thing to do.

XXXX

Bella had been able to talk Sue into letting her stay home from church by promising her that she would clean the house before Julian came over. Embry came over and had the entire house cleaned in half an hour. Bella hadn't asked him to but he said that he didn't mind because it would give them more time together. Once he was done he fell onto the couch with a grunt.

"I have never seen you move that fast," she stated in astonishment.

"You'd be surprised how fast I can move when it comes to having more time with you," he said pulling her onto the couch with him.

She sat on the edge of the couch before placing a hand on his shoulder. He looked tired and worn out. She had tried to tell him that he didn't have to do all the work himself. His eyes drooped and she shook him gently.

"Why don't we go lay down?" she asked.

"I'm not tired," he said softly.

"And I'm the Queen of England," she said sarcastically rolling her eyes.

He smiled before sitting up. She pulled him off the couch, nearly falling over the coffee table in the process. He wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her before leading her out of the room. In Leah's room she covered him up before moving away from the bed.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked his voice thick with sleep.

"I'm going to get the seating chart for the wedding reception. Sue's invited fifteen more people and the whole chart needs to be redone. I promised her that I work on it," she stated.

"What about going to sleep?" he whined.

"You're going to sleep. I'm going to get some work done. I'll be right back," she said brushing her fingers over his forehead.

When she came back into the room he was already asleep. She worked on the seating chart and his deep, even breathing was welcome background noise. Damn her for having better organizational skills than Leah.

She was still going over it when the front door opened at eleven. She didn't expect everyone to be home for at least another hour. She quietly made her way through the house, hearing someone in the kitchen. Emily and Sam were at the counter unloading groceries and putting them where they belonged.

"The two of you didn't go to church either?" she asked.

"Sue asked me to get everything started before she came home. He'll look for any excuse he can to get out of church," Emily said giving Sam an admonishing look.

"So will Embry. It took him half an hour to clean the house and now he's passed out in Leah's bed."

"He works himself too hard. Sam is the same way," Emily said once Sam had gone back outside to get the last of the groceries.

"Why didn't someone notice that they were brothers sooner?" Bella wondered out loud.

"I have no clue," Emily said with a laugh.

The sounds of the TV in the living room filtered into the room as they worked. Sam and Embry were more alike than people realized. They were still trying to adjust to being brothers. They had made a lot of progress, but Embry still felt weird around him sometimes. His mother was the reason that Sam's dad had left and Embry had spent his whole life wondering what his mother had been hiding. Now that he knew he wished that things could go back to the way the used to be. The only good things that had come out of him joining the pack were Bella and that his friendships with Jake and Quil had gotten stronger.

Embry came into the kitchen at noon giving Bella a tired, annoyed look.

"You left," he accused.

"I'm helping Emily," she said in defense.

"I've got this under control, you can go," Emily said, voicing her opinion.

Embry pulled her out the back door and across the yard to the fence. Once they were in his backyard he steered them towards the hammock. She knew that he had issues with sharing her because they had so little time together as it was.

"This is only temporary. In a few weeks you won't be able to get rid of me. You're going to see so much of me that you are going to get sick of me."

"Not a chance," he said wrapping his arms around her waist.

She sighed before turning her head to look at him. She would never understand the pull they had towards each other. Her life was better because he was in it. She spent all of her time away from him thinking about him. She worried about him when she knew that something was bothering him. He turned to look at her with questioning eyes.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How much my life has changed since I met you," she mused.

"Finding out about werewolves and then having one of them imprint on you is a huge change," he said in agreement.

"I can't explain it any better than to tell you that I am not the same person I was a year and a half ago."

"Technically I'm not either, but that goes without saying," he said giving her an amused look.

"I'm a better person now, I'm more outgoing. There are so many things that are going right in my life right now, I feel like I'm dreaming sometimes," she said in wonder.

He cupped her face in his hands before brushing his lips to hers. He met her gaze giving her a tender, loving look.

"Still think you're dreaming?" he asked huskily.

"I think I might need more convincing," she said in a serious tone.

He gave her a crooked smile before leaning in again. His hands moved to her neck as he applied pressure to her lips. Her hands threaded into his hair as she sighed against his lips. His tongue traced the curve of her bottom lip asking for entrance. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue moved against hers slowly. His hands moved to her shoulders to push down the straps of her tank top and bra. His fingers brushed over her bare shoulders, wanting as much contact with her as possible. She played with the hair at the nape of his neck as the kiss continued.

"Bella are you out here?" Charlie called from next door.

Bella whimpered when Embry pulled away from her with a sigh. Neither of them had heard everyone come back.

"Yeah, Dad?" she answered.

"She isn't out here Sue. Maybe she walked up to Jake's," he said loud enough that they could hear him.

"Thank you Charlie," Embry said as he fell back against the hammock.

"It wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have so much going on," she said solemnly.

"I need to get ready for work," he said with a sigh.

"So I need to go back over there anyway?"

"I could take you with me to work," he offered.

"I promised Leah that I would be there for her today," she reminded him.

"Then stay until I leave," he said sitting up.

He took hold of her hand pulling her into a sitting position and they walked back to the house silently. Bella sat at the kitchen table while he got dressed. He came to stand behind her placing his chin on her shoulder. She turned her head to kiss the corner of his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her. She leaned against him with a sigh. He buried his face in her neck breathing her in. He pulled away when he heard his mom pull up.

They were both sitting at the table when Nadine came in. She sat her purse on the hall table before pulling off her nurse's jacket and Crocs. She made her way into the room tiredly reaching for a coffee cup from the cupboard. She pulled down the tea bags from over the stove before filling up the tea kettle with water. She walked to the table and sat next to Embry silently.

"What did the two of you do last night?"

"Not much," Embry answered.

"Embry made dinner."

"I wish he would do that when I was here," Nadine said with a wistful sigh.

"Which do you want breakfast or steaks?"

"Both. Steak and eggs sounds good," she mused.

"I'll stop by the store and pick up some steaks on my home tonight."

"I work the graveyard shift at the factory tonight, remember?"

"Then I'll cook tomorrow night."

The tea kettle whistled and Nadine pulled herself from her chair with a sigh. Embry looked at the clock over the kitchen archway and realized that it was time for him to leave. He stood and walked to where his mom stood at the counter adding honey to her tea. He hugged her from behind and she patted his arm before kissing his cheek.

"Get some sleep," he said before pulling away.

"I will," she promised.

Bella stood and went to the hall to put on her shoes. Embry met her at the door a few seconds later. She looked up at him giving him a worried look. The haggard look from last night was back.

"I know what you're thinking and you don't need to," he reassured her with a sigh.

"I don't need to worry about you?" she asked in confusion.

"I'm fine. I'll be better once school is out," he promised.

"You've only got three more weeks left," she said wrapping her arms around his neck.

He nodded as she leaned up on her toes to kiss him lightly. His hands rested on her hips before he pushed her away.

"I'm going to be late," he said with a sigh.

"I'll come over tonight."

He nodded again before opening the front door. Once they were at the bottom of the stairs they went in different directions. She was at the bottom of the stairs when he passed the house. She waved before walking up the stairs. He waved back as she stood at the door. The door opened and Sue gave her a startled look.

"Did you just come from Embry's? Your dad thought that you weren't there."

"I went for a walk. Embry was in the yard when I came up the street so I went and talked to him for a minute," she explained.

"I appreciate you working on the seating chart. It looks great," she praised, her tone grateful.

"You're welcome," Bella said with a smile.

"Do you think that you could go with me to pick up the dresses tomorrow?"

"It would have to be tomorrow morning. I have to work in the afternoon," Bella agreed.

"Sure. Thank you so much."

"It's not a problem."

A silver Subaru Hatchback pulled up in the yard and Leah pushed past them to stand on the porch. Julian got out of the car and Sue and Bella took him in. Leah stood on the top step and Julian stopped in front of her with a smile. She moved to the side so that he could see Sue and Bella.

"Julian, this is my mom Sue, and my soon to be sister Bella. Mom, Bella, this is Julian."'

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Leah has told me so much about you," he said politely.

"She hasn't mentioned much about you." Sue said.

"But when she does talk about you it's obvious that you are special to her," Bella said with a smile.

"I'll be happy to answer whatever questions you have Ma'am," Julian said meeting Sue's gaze.

"Why don't we go inside? There's a houseful of people that Leah wants to introduce you to," Sue said turning to go inside.

Julian followed Sue into the house before Leah put a hand on Bella's shoulder.

"Thank you. I am naming my first child after you," she said with a sigh.

"You might want to go and save him. I hear your mom introducing him to my dad," Bella warned.

"Yikes. See you inside," Leah said before going in.

Bella turned to walk into the house when she heard a car pull up in the front yard. She looked over her shoulder to see Jacob opening the passenger door of his dad's truck. He quickly pulled Billy's chair from the back and opened it while Billy opened his door. Jacob was around the truck before Billy could open the door all the way. Jacob lifted his dad out of the truck with ease and gently placed him in the chair. Seth came out the door as Jacob pushed Billy through the yard. The two boys lifted the chair like it was lighter than air and Bella held the door open for them so that they could pass her.

"Hey," Jacob said as Seth pushed Billy into the house.

"Hey," she said casually.

"I haven't thanked you for helping me this week. I do appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me Jake. I don't want you to fail," she said brushing his comment off.

"Dinner's ready you two," Charlie said from the hall.

Jacob draped an arm over Bella's shoulders, leading her into the house. In the kitchen he handed Bella a plate before standing behind Sam in line. Julian and Leah came to stand behind them and Jacob looked over his shoulder with a nod in acknowledgment.

"I'm Jake," he said once Julian waved in greeting.

"He isn't important," Leah said waving her hand at Jacob dismissively.

"Ha, ha, ha," Jake said rolling his eyes.

"You're dating Leah's cousin, right?" Julian questioned.

"So she has mentioned me?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"I met Allison when she was home a few weeks ago," Julian said with a shake of his head.

"Very interesting, good thing Mom didn't hear that," Seth mused.

"And you aren't going to tell her," Leah said glaring at him.

"Leah said that you write for a newspaper in Seattle. Which one do you work for?" Bella asked changing the subject.

"The Pioneer," he explained.

Bella nodded before moving up in line. Everyone was quiet as Charlie said grace before almost everyone moved to the living room where Sam and Seth had set up a folding table. Leah pulled Bella down into the seat next to her so that no one else would sit there. Julian looked between the two of them from the other side of Leah. Bella gave him a helpless look before shrugging her shoulders.

"Leah tells me that your dad and her dad were really close before he died."

"They were best friends. So I wasn't blindsided when he started dating Sue. I knew the kind of person she was and I've known Leah my entire life. Seth kind of forced himself into the equation," she said with a light laugh.

"That's what he does. He's very annoying," Leah said in agreement.

"She's supposed to say that, he's her little brother. He's not that bad, he's just very friendly," Bella said with a laugh.

"I got that when I met him," Julian said with a nod.

Seth peppered Julian with questions and Julian answered them all.

"Bella's a pretty good cook herself," Leah interjected when Seth questioned Julian's cooking skills.

"You are?"

"I get by," Bella said, embarrassed.

"You do more than get by. You haven't lived until you've had her homemade barbeque. She marinates it in the barbeque sauce overnight then it cooks all day. It's awesome," Seth said.

"What kind of meat do you use?"

"Pork usually, I'll use steak when I can afford it."

Julian nodded before going back to eating. Laughter could be heard from the living room and everyone at the kitchen table looked to see Sam and Charlie throwing napkins at each other.

"It isn't always this animated. Things don't usually start flying until it's time to clean up the kitchen," Bella said to Julian.

He laughed as he shook his head.

"It reminds me of family dinner at my house. All of you are family except for Billy and Jake?"

"Technically, yes. Sam is marrying into the family in the fall."

Sue came into the room with her arms overloaded with dishes. Julian got up from the table and moved towards her.

"Let me take some of these for you," he offered taking half of what you had.

"Thank you, but we don't expect you to help clean," Sue said with a polite smile.

"It's not a problem, I don't mind."

"Yeah Mom, if he wants to help don't stop him," Seth interjected.

"So says the person who has to clean the kitchen," Sue said giving Seth a stern look.

"I really don't mind."

Sue nodded before leaving the room. She came back with more dishes while Julian filled the sink with soap and water.

"You know what Seth? I can clean the kitchen tonight; you deserved to have the night off," Leah said loud enough for her mom to hear.

"Sure," Seth said; glad to be out of doing his nightly chore.

"That's very nice of you Leah," Sue said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Leah nodded as she stood to clear the table. Bella went back to their room before pulling her phone from her pocket. She sent Embry a quick message before shutting her phone again.

Dinner was interesting. She sent.

Her phone vibrated less than ten seconds later.

No one has embarrassed Leah enough for her to kill them yet? He sent back.

Seth was on his best behavior. Sue's being typical Sue.

This place is dead. I've only had one customer.

The big Memorial Day sale is over so maybe everybody has everything they need for summer.

Speaking of this summer, I talked to my dad.

What did he have to say?

He's going to be gone most of the summer. The only time I can see him is the first few weeks after I get out of school.

So we'll head towards Florida then make our way up the coast to New York.

It would be nice to meet your mom.

She's been asking about when I am going to let her meet you.

Well then tell her that we'll be there around the Fourth of July.

I was thinking that maybe we could surprise her. She doesn't even know what you look like.

You haven't sent her the photo album yet?

I haven't filled it up. I was going to use the last few pages for pictures of the wedding. She said that she wanted pictures from it.

I just talked to Mr. Newton. He's sending me home.

I'll see you in half an hour.

She shut her phone with a smile. Having Embry around would balance the scale in Leah's favor. He was the wolf she got along with best because she had lived next door to him for his entire life. Leah stood at the door watching her.

"What are you so happy about?"

"You're other savior is on his way home," she explained.

"You're kidding. Beg him, plead with him, promise him sexual favors, just do whatever you have to do to get him to come over here," she pleaded.

"I don't need to. He always comes over without being asked," Bella said with a laugh.

"Thank you God," she said with a sigh.

Embry came in as Sam and Emily were leaving almost an hour later. He had gone home long enough to take a shower and change before Sue pulled him into the kitchen.

"Leah made you a plate. Come and eat," she said before pulling a chair out for him.

Leah sat on the counter next to Bella when Embry looked over his shoulder. She mouthed 'thank you' and he nodded with a small smile.

"So you're Embry," Julian said from next to Leah.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you," Embry said as Sue set a plate of food in front of him.

"Leah talks about you almost as much as she talks about Seth and Bella."

"Embry is part of the family whether if he wants to be or not," Sue said patting Embry's shoulder lightly.

"It's good that the two of you got to meet before you had to leave," Leah said as she set her dirty desert plate in the sink.

"You're leaving so soon?" Sue asked.

"I'm leaving in the morning for California," Julian explained.

"When will you be back?"

"Friday afternoon."

"Well then, would you like to take home some peanut butter pie? Bella doesn't make it very often, so who knows when you'll get the offer again," Sue said politely.

"Sure," Julian said with a nod.

Leah made a plate for him to take home while he went to say goodbye to everyone. Bella sat next to Embry at the table and he took one of her hands in his free hand.

"Will the two of you act like you didn't spend the whole morning together? I have never seen two people more attached than the two of you," Leah said rolling her eyes.

"Just because you aren't the affectionate type don't rag on us because we are," Embry said once he swallowed a mouthful of food.

"You got me, right here," Leah said dramatically as she patted her chest.

Bella laughed as Leah glared at him. Julian put a hand on her arm to get her attention and they walked out the front door together. He set the plate of food on the passenger seat through the open window before pulling Leah to him. This was the closest contact that they'd had. He had made no move to kiss her in the month since she had imprinted on him. There wasn't a rule that said that she couldn't make the first move. She took a deep breath before leaning in.

He stilled in front of her for a fraction of a second before cupping the back of her neck. She held back the urge to smile as she applied more pressure. His thumb brushed against her jaw lightly before his tongue traced the curve of her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to him not able to hold back a sigh. His tongue brushed over hers gently as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She moved closer to him, feeling heat radiating off of him. He pulled away with a chuckle.

"I wish that you could come with me," he said with a sigh.

"I have a job interview tomorrow," she stated, shaking her head.

"When are you putting in your two week notice?"

"I did that yesterday. I don't think anyone will miss me," she explained, rolling her eyes sarcastically.

"It's their loss; they're not only losing you, their losing me as a customer. I'm bowing out of my membership to the club when I get back."

"Be safe," she said brushing her fingers over his cheek.

"I'll call you when I get in tomorrow."

"Try not to miss me too much," she said giving him a teasing look.

"I'll do that no matter what."

She pulled away and walked backwards towards the stairs. He got into the car as she walked up the stairs. She paused at the door to watch him pull out of the driveway. She went back into the house thankful that her mom and Seth were nice to him. She should never have worried about it; she knew that they would like him just as much as she did. She had worried over nothing.


	26. Finally Gaining Ground

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Jacob sat in the Clearwater's kitchen watching Seth in the living room. Seth had his text books strewn across the coffee table and he was leaning over it with his head in his hands. Jacob knew the feeling because he was going through it himself. Pretty soon the kid would start complaining that he felt like his head was going to explode and Sue would give in and let him stop studying for the night. With only a few days left Jacob was glad to be finally free of school. He had been counting down the days leading up to graduation since the first day of school this year.

"Mom, are my two hours up yet?" Seth called from the living room.

"You've still got ten minutes. You can wait it out."

"Yes ma'am," he said sullenly.

"Why aren't you studying for your last exams Jake?" Sue asked as she stirred the pot of soup on the stove.

"I studied earlier. Embry went over everything with me."

"It amazes me how much patience he has. He only had to take one of his exams and he still helped you and Quil study for yours."

"Where is he when I need him?" Seth asked sullenly.

"He is working, just like Bella. I told you to ask her to help you before this morning. It is not my fault that you didn't listen."

Jacob shook his head not able to stop the smile that was pulling at his lips. Sue was more on edge than normal. With the wedding happening that weekend she was also helping Nadine and Mae throw a graduation party for the boys. All of her family was in town and the Clearwater house was filled with more people than a hotel. That meant that Bella was back at Embry's. Neither of them complained; he wouldn't either if Allison was forced to stay with him.

"What kind of soup are you making? It smells really good," Jacob asked.

"Wedding soup, it's a tradition to serve it at every wedding that my family throws."

"You're the one getting married, shouldn't someone else make it?"

"My mom usually makes it. She's getting older and she doesn't have the energy that she used to."

"Are my ten minutes up yet?" Seth asked.

"Yes. Now come in and set the table."

"What's for dinner?"

"Frozen pizza," Sue said with finality.

Seth scrunched up his face as he grabbed plates from the cabinet.

"I saw that. I got the kind that you like," Sue said giving him an admonishing look.

"I'm gonna go," Jacob said standing from his chair.

"Thank you again for building the arch. I really do appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. Rachel and Becca said that they would come over early on Saturday to decorate it."

"When does Becca go home?"

"She leaves Sunday."

"It must be nice having her back."

"It is. My dad and I have really missed her. Rachel doesn't want her to leave."

"I can understand that. The bond of a twin is hard to break."

Jacob waved to Seth who was walking down the hall with Charlie and Leah behind him.

"See you guys later," he called over his shoulder before walking out the door.

He hated to admit it but Allison, Bella, and Embry had been right. All the studying he had done had stayed with him. With only one more exam to take until he was done with high school he felt like he had accomplished something. His dad was so proud of him that he talked to everyone who would listen about the plans that Jacob had for the future. The end was in sight and he wasn't going to look back.

XXXX

Embry woke to see Bella watching him. He gave her a sleepy smile before stretching. He rolled over onto his back then pulled her closer to him.

"What were you doing all the way over there?" he asked sleepily.

"I just wanted to watch you," she said laying her head on his shoulder.

"By this time Sunday we'll be on the road."

"I know. I can't wait."

"Me neither," he said running his fingers lightly down her arm.

"How does it feel to be done with school?"

"I won't officially be done with school until tomorrow when I graduate, but it's a good feeling. I'm ready to move on."

"What do you mean?"

"I've always known that I would leave here once I was done with school. My mom wanted more for me than this."

"What about the pack? What about me? Don't I have a say in that decision?"

"Of course you have a say in the decision. I've talked to Sam. Once I'm done with college I'm going to stop phasing."

"What about being Second in Command?"

"Paul wants it more than I do. He and Jacob can handle things."

"Where do I fit in?"

"I want to be with you. That's never going to change."

"What if I don't want to leave? What would you do then?"

"Do you want to stay here?" he asked turning his head to look at her.

"Well, no. It was a hypothetical question."

"Then I would stay. My life is wherever you are," he said taking hold of the hand closest to him.

"Good answer," she said kissing his neck.

Bella settled against him again realizing that she had freaked out over nothing. He should have brought it up sooner, but that couldn't be undone now. She really hadn't thought about what she wanted to after college. She knew that she wanted to live close to her parents, but which one? She couldn't see Embry living in Florida because it was too close to Joshua.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Where do you see us living?"

"I hadn't thought about that yet."

"I would want to stay close to my dad since living close to my mom is out of the question."

"What about Seattle?"

"I was thinking out of state, but Seattle would be nice."

"I wouldn't ask you to move out of state."

She turned on her side before draping an arm over his waist. He ran a hand down her back slowly before coming to stop at the small of her back. His eyes moved to the envelope on his dresser and he stared at it darkly. It had arrived yesterday and he was scared to open it. He hadn't told her about it because he knew that she would want him to open it right away. He hadn't heard from his dad since he left to go back to Florida two months ago. He hadn't expected to hear from him again until he went to see him. What could he want? What could he have to say that couldn't wait a week until Embry was there to say it face to face? Embry shook the thoughts from his head with a sigh. He would read the letter after Bella left.

XXXX

Bella woke up on Thursday to see the sun shining brightly through the window over Embry's bed. He had let her sleep in. She reached for her phone groggily and sighed when she realized that it was almost nine. He was more than likely just finishing his exam.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and walked to the closet in her t-shirt and underwear. She had a feeling that Nadine was already asleep after working at the factory all night. She was working the afternoon shift at the hospital to make up for not working tomorrow or Saturday. Bella quietly dressed before silently leaving the house.

At Sue's Leah and Natalia watched the kids play in the front yard. Sue's car was not in the driveway so Bella took that as a sign that she had some time to get a shower and finish completely waking up before she faced the rest of the day.

"Did you have a late night?" Leah asked with a teasing smile.

"Not really. I was just worn out from yesterday."

"Me too, I wasn't as lucky as you were," she said tiredly.

"Go sleep now. I can take over here."

"Thank you," Leah said putting a hand on Bella's shoulder as she passed her to walk into the house.

"It'll be a while before Aunt Sue comes back. She had to pick up Nanaw and then she was going to pick up the dresses and tuxes."

"Isn't my dad doing anything to help?"

"He's been working so much since I got here Monday. I've only seen him once. Sue said that he's making up for the next few weeks because he wants to get everyone settled in at the house before going back to work."

"I guess I can understand that," Bella said with a nod.

"Leah told me that you and Embry are going on a road trip this summer."

"We leave on Sunday morning."

"How are the two of you doing?"

"Good. There's been a lot of stress lately because of the wedding and his mom is having trouble letting him go but we're working through it."

"I would imagine that a lot of it has to do with the wedding."

"Not all of it. We're still getting to know things about each other and we don't always see eye to eye."

"You will never stop learning things about him. That's one thing that I've learned the six years that I've been with Jason."

"I guess," she said with a shrug.

"But it's good that the two of you are working through your problems. You two are a lot smarter than I was at eighteen."

"Thanks," Bella said laughing shyly.

"You're welcome."

Embry's car pulled up in his driveway and Bella waved from the porch. He waved back before heading into the house. Natalia watched the interaction with worry. She had known Embry for a while and she knew the kind of person he was, but she didn't know Bella very well. She thought that Bella was nice and that she was great at adapting to every situation that was thrown at her but she didn't know much else about her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Bella said turning to face Natalia.

"We're you in love with Jacob when the two of you were together?"

"I thought I was. I care for him very deeply, but only as a friend. Embry and Allison know that."

"So Allison isn't going to get hurt later on down the road?"

"No," Bella said in concern.

"I didn't mean to insult you. I've known Allison for ten years and I've been with Jason for six. She's vulnerable and she isn't always as confident as everyone thinks she is."

"I understand."

"She's like a little sister to me. If she trusts you than you must not be as bad as I thought."

"I'm not a bad person at all."

"Leah used to talk about you like you were possessed."

"There was a time when I wasn't myself. I let myself be swept away by someone and I became the kind of person they wanted me to be."

"This is the ex-fiancée?"

"Yeah," Bella said quietly.

"Well then I'm glad that you were able to walk away from the situation."

"I am too."

"We should probably round up the kids. The food needs to be warmed up by the time Sue comes back," she said turning her attention to the girls and Brady in the yard.

Inside the house Bella worked on heating the food while Natalia got the kids settled down with a movie. Sue came home with her mom and sister an hour later. Sue came into the kitchen to help Bella while her mom and sister went into the living room.

"Where's Leah?"

"She's lying down."

"I do appreciate what you've done for me. I don't thank you enough."

"Yes you do."

"It doesn't feel like it sometimes. I've had you help me with everything. I wouldn't be surprised if you jumped through hoops if you I asked you to."

"You aren't going to, are you?" Bella asked with a scared look.

"No Honey, I'm not," Sue said with a laugh.

Bella let herself be pulled in for a hug as Leah made her way into the room. Leah gave her a worried look and Bella gave her an 'I don't know' look.

"Come here, Leah."

"Aw Ma, do I have to hug you?" Leah asked with a groan.

"Humor me, just this once. I want to thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome," Leah said from where she stood at the refrigerator.

"Leah Alexandra Clearwater get over here right now and hug me," Sue admonished.

Leah sighed deeply before walking over to her mother. Sue enveloped Leah in a hug and Leah awkwardly patted her back. Sue held her tighter and Leah finally gave in and hugged her properly. Seth came in the front door and saw the exchange. He crossed the room and enveloped the two of them in a hug.

"That's my boy," Sue said proudly.

"Suck up," Leah mumbled.

Seth tightened his hold on her and Bella could hear bones cracking under the pressure.

"Seth, let her go," Sue cautioned.

"Yes ma'am," he said giving Leah a smart alike smile.

"You wait," Leah breathed.

"He broke your ribs?" Bella asked.

Leah held up three fingers as she gripped the counter. Her face contorted in pain as Sue hovered over her.

"Mom I'll be fine."

"Maybe next time you'll be nicer to him."

Sue helped Leah over to the table while Bella went back to stirring the soup on the stove. Sue's mother came in and hovered behind Sue.

"She's fine Momma. No need to fuss over her. She's starting to breathe again."

"Nanaw I'm fine, really."

"You're sure?"

Leah nodded and Madeline hit Seth playfully. His grin from a few seconds before now turned to a look of terror because Leah was stalking towards him.

"Leah, Julian is here," Natalia said from the front window.

"Yes, saved by the imprint," Seth said under his breath.

Leah rolled her eyes at him before turning to walk out of the room. Embry came in followed by Julian. Embry walked into the kitchen and was enveloped in a hug by Madeline before being passed to Sue. Sue hugged him lightly before letting him go. He crossed the room to stand in front of Bella. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist.

"Seth, go and get my things out of the car, hmm?" Madeline said pushing Seth out of the room.

No one understood why she was okay with Bella and Embry being together. Bella had the sneaking suspicion that someone had told her the truth. Madeline and Sue walked into the living room silently before Embry leaned down to kiss Bella lightly.

She sighed against his lips before threading her fingers in his hair. He pulled away to put his head to hers, looking down at her with curious eyes. She hadn't had much to say to him since he had told her his plans for after college. He wished that she would tell him what she was thinking.

Her eyes met his, giving him a weary look. That gave him the answer he needed. She had issues with him not talking to her sooner. He didn't blame her; he would be upset if the tables were turned. He held her tighter before resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Everything is going to be fine," he whispered.

"Do you promise?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No."

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"You're forgiven," she said quietly.

He leaned back to look her in the eye then cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed her cheeks lightly and she smiled, leaning into the touch. Someone walked into the kitchen but neither of them noticed. After a few minutes Embry finally pulled away. Bella turned to check on dinner while Embry leaned against the counter.

No one said that being in love was easy. That was something that Bella had learned early on in her relationship with Edward and it was a lesson that would stick with her for the rest of her life. Embry was worth sticking around for.

XXXX

The preacher stood underneath the arch with Charlie waiting for Seth to walk Sue down the aisle. Once Claire and Brady made their way down Sue and Seth stepped into view. They walked slowly towards them and Bella smiled while watching her dad. It was only the rehearsal and already his eyes were lit up brighter than she had ever seen them. She was glad that he was happy.

The run through lasted less than ten minutes and afterwards everyone headed inside for dinner. Bella and Leah were in their room watching over Lena and Claire while Bella also tried to pack. An oversized duffle bag sat on the bag and the younger girls were pulling out everything that Bella put in. Leah jerked a pair of pajama bottoms from Lena giving her a venomous look.

"If you touch one more thing I am going to chop off your hand," Leah warned through clenched teeth.

"Don't tell her that," Bella said as Lena started to cry.

Lena climbed off the bed to stand at Bella's side. Bella patted the little girls back once she latched onto her leg.

"Claire no want Bella to go," Claire said from Leah's lap.

"I'll be back," Bella said in a soothing voice.

"I come with you," Claire said climbing into the duffle bag.

Bella laughed lightly as Leah tried to pull Claire from the bag. Claire fought her kicking and screaming. Bella walked over to the bed and held out her arms for Claire. Claire raised her arms to let Bella pick her up.

"If you're good, I'll bring you something back."

"Me too?" Lena asked, still holding onto Bella.

"Yes you too."

"Dinner's ready," Seth said from the door.

Leah ushered the girls towards the door while Bella continued packing.

"Do you think that bag is big enough?" Seth asked in a joking manner.

"It has to be. Claire wants to be a stow away and I have to bring something back for Lena."

"And me."

"Of course, how could I forget you?" Bella said rolling her eyes.

"How much more packing do you have to do?"

"You act like I'm taking everything I own. I'm only taking this and my computer bag."

"That bag is the size of three regular duffle bags."

"It's got to hold everything I need for the next two months."

"Seth, Bella, come on. I'm starving!" Leah called down the hall.

Seth draped an arm over Bella's shoulders to lead her out of the room. She wrapped an arm around his waist before turning out the light. There was already a line forming when they got to the kitchen. Embry met them at the archway separating the kitchen from the hall and Seth let go of her. Embry took his place, taking her hand in his.

All through dinner Embry was quiet and mostly kept his eyes set at a point on the table in front of him. Bella knew instantly that something was bothering him. She would talk to him about it tonight. Right now she would be his steady place to lean.

After Bella, Leah, and Seth had cleaned the kitchen Bella found Embry on the porch. Jacob and Quil were sitting with him on the front steps. Once Bella shut the front door Jacob and Quil both said that they had to leave. Jacob went inside to get Billy and the three of them left a few minutes later. Bella sat next to Embry looking out over the yard.

"I know something is wrong," she said breaking the silence.

"Something is wrong. I just don't know how bad it is yet."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"When you come over later," he promised.

"That's not going to be for another hour at least."

"I can wait," he said sullenly.

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"I got a letter from my dad the other day."

"What did he have to say?"

"I haven't read it yet," he said with a sigh.

"I wish that you didn't always tense up when it comes to him. Maybe you're making something out of nothing this time."

"You think so?"

"You'll never know until you read it," she said putting a hand on his leg.

"I should go home."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said pulling her hand away.

He turned towards her and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting it so that her face was inches from his. He kissed her gently before pulling away seconds later. He gave her a small smile as his fingers grazed her cheek.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," she said before pulling away.

He stood, shoving his hands in his pockets before walking down the stairs. He crossed the yard to his house making his way through the house quickly. He flipped the light on his desk on, picking up the letter which was propped up against his bookshelf. He turned it over in his hands, debating if he should open it now or wait until Bella got there. He shook his head with a sigh before sliding a finger underneath the flap. He pulled the pieces of paper out, feeling the weight of them in his hand. There were three pieces of paper in all. Something that was stuck between the pieces of paper caught his eye and he pulled it out with curious eyes.

It was a picture of a preteen boy and girl standing behind a birthday cake smiling at the camera. 'Happy 11th Birthday Kristopher and Abby' was written across the cake. Kristopher was a mirror image of Joshua and Sam. While Abby was shorter than her brother by several inches, she did have Joshua's mouth, nose and eyes. Embry had never been gladder that he looked like his mom. If he had looked like Joshua or his siblings he never would have been able to handle things. Did Sam know about them? If he had, he would have told Embry, he was sure of it. He opened the letter, bracing himself for what his father had to say.

_Embry,_

_I hope this letter gets to you before your graduation. If it doesn't then I want you to know that I am proud of you for finishing school. I was disappointed when I found out that Sam dropped out because of the pressure from being the only member of the pack. I know that it might seem hard for you to believe but I want what is best for you and your brothers and sister. I have not told Sam about Kristopher and Abigail, if you could keep it to yourself I would appreciate it. I think that Sam will deal with the situation better if he found out in person. Your mother says that you're a stronger person than I give you credit for and I pray that she is right._

_I am sorry that I cannot be there to see you graduate but things weren't able to work out that way. Kristopher and Abigail can't wait to meet you. I've been telling them about Sam for years and they have been more than accepting about having another older brother. They have a lot of questions for you when you come down._

_If I had known about you sooner I would have come home more. I feel so guilty about leaving you and Sam alone the way I did. I didn't think that I would get another chance to be a father and your brother and sister came along and I realized all of the mistakes that I had made the first time around. My father wasn't in my life either. I didn't have someone to teach me the right way to treat a woman. I know that isn't a good explanation but it's the only one I have. _

_Like Sam I was on my own a lot of the time because my mother worked three jobs to support my younger sister and me. I married Sam's mom at seventeen and by the time I was twenty one I felt like I was trapped. The situation with your mother was what finally set Nora over the edge and pushed me out of her life. I didn't even say goodbye to your mother before I left._

_I am so thankful that you have been accepting of me and haven't shut me out. That's what I did with my father when he came back into the picture ten years ago. He died before I could make things right. I don't want that to happen with you or Sam. Neither of you should have to live with that kind of guilt. Your mother did a wonderful job raising you. You are the kind of person I wanted to be when I was younger. You are the kind of person that I want your brother and sister to be. Don't ever let anyone tell you that there is something that you can't do._

_If I hadn't gotten Nora pregnant I wouldn't have married her. We hadn't even been dating that long, and to be honest with you I had stronger feelings for your mother but she had a boyfriend at the time. If things had been different I would have married your mother. Sam knows the truth and I thought that you should too._

_I don't want to upset you by telling you these things but if I have, please tell me. I want us to have an open, honest relationship like the one you have with your mother. She's an amazing woman Embry, never forget that. Take your time with Bella, don't rush things. You and she deserve more than becoming parents as teenagers like I did._

_I don't want you to feel like I chose your brother and sister over you and Sam. I wasn't ready to be a parent then. I am still learning how to be a good father. They're patient, like their mother. They know not to take things too seriously. I see a lot of Sam in Abigail. She's very compassionate towards others and has such a giving heart. Kristopher is very active and is always finding something or other to get into. He keeps everyone on their toes._

_I know that you are well and happy in life and I know that Sam is as well now that he has finally let go of all of his aggression. That is all that I want for the two of you. I will see you soon._

_Dad_

Embry folded the letter with a sigh. As much as he wanted to be angry with his dad for everything that had happened he couldn't be. Joshua had been younger than he was when he became a dad for the first time. He couldn't blame him for being scared and running; he probably would have done the same thing.

He walked through the house to the living room and knelt in front of the chest that his mom kept spare picture frames in. He found one and quickly slipped the picture inside before hearing Bella on the front porch. She came in just as he was standing. She watched him with curious eyes as he walked towards her.

"I have a younger brother and sister," he said holding out the picture for her to take.

"They look like Sam and your dad," she said smiling sadly.

"They can't wait to meet me," he said rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I understand the situation now. I don't hate him anymore."

"Good," she said setting the picture down on the table in the hall.

"Don't mention them to Sam. My dad hasn't told him about them yet."

"Sure," she said with a nod.

He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbing his back soothingly. He rested his head on her shoulder, burying his face in her neck. He took a few steady, calming breaths as she continued rubbing his back. He pulled away from her, pulling her arms from around him. He took one hand in his and they walked back to his room together. His mom wasn't due to be home for another couple of hours so he was going to take whatever alone time he could get with Bella while he still could. The next few days were going to be crazier than normal and he was going to need her with him to keep him from losing it.


	27. The Home Stretch

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Jacob sat in the Clearwater's kitchen watching Seth in the living room. Seth had his text books strewn across the coffee table and he was leaning over it with his head in his hands. Jacob knew the feeling because he was going through it himself. Pretty soon the kid would start complaining that he felt like his head was going to explode and Sue would give in and let him stop studying for the night. With only a few days left Jacob was glad to be finally free of school. He had been counting down the days leading up to graduation since the first day of school this year.

"Mom, are my two hours up yet?" Seth called from the living room.

"You've still got ten minutes. You can wait it out."

"Yes ma'am," he said sullenly.

"Why aren't you studying for your last exams Jake?" Sue asked as she stirred the pot of soup on the stove.

"I studied earlier. Embry went over everything with me."

"It amazes me how much patience he has. He only had to take one of his exams and he still helped you and Quil study for yours."

"Where is he when I need him?" Seth asked sullenly.

"He is working, just like Bella. I told you to ask her to help you before this morning. It is not my fault that you didn't listen."

Jacob shook his head not able to stop the smile that was pulling at his lips. Sue was more on edge than normal. With the wedding happening that weekend she was also helping Nadine and Mae throw a graduation party for the boys. All of her family was in town and the Clearwater house was filled with more people than a hotel. That meant that Bella was back at Embry's. Neither of them complained; he wouldn't either if Allison was forced to stay with him.

"What kind of soup are you making? It smells really good," Jacob asked.

"Wedding soup, it's a tradition to serve it at every wedding that my family throws."

"You're the one getting married, shouldn't someone else make it?"

"My mom usually makes it. She's getting older and she doesn't have the energy that she used to."

"Are my ten minutes up yet?" Seth asked.

"Yes. Now come in and set the table."

"What's for dinner?"

"Frozen pizza," Sue said with finality.

Seth scrunched up his face as he grabbed plates from the cabinet.

"I saw that. I got the kind that you like," Sue said giving him an admonishing look.

"I'm gonna go," Jacob said standing from his chair.

"Thank you again for building the arch. I really do appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. Rachel and Becca said that they would come over early on Saturday to decorate it."

"When does Becca go home?"

"She leaves Sunday."

"It must be nice having her back."

"It is. My dad and I have really missed her. Rachel doesn't want her to leave."

"I can understand that. The bond of a twin is hard to break."

Jacob waved to Seth who was walking down the hall with Charlie and Leah behind him.

"See you guys later," he called over his shoulder before walking out the door.

He hated to admit it but Allison, Bella, and Embry had been right. All the studying he had done had stayed with him. With only one more exam to take until he was done with high school he felt like he had accomplished something. His dad was so proud of him that he talked to everyone who would listen about the plans that Jacob had for the future. The end was in sight and he wasn't going to look back.

XXXX

Embry woke to see Bella watching him. He gave her a sleepy smile before stretching. He rolled over onto his back then pulled her closer to him.

"What were you doing all the way over there?" he asked sleepily.

"I just wanted to watch you," she said laying her head on his shoulder.

"By this time Sunday we'll be on the road."

"I know. I can't wait."

"Me neither," he said running his fingers lightly down her arm.

"How does it feel to be done with school?"

"I won't officially be done with school until tomorrow when I graduate, but it's a good feeling. I'm ready to move on."

"What do you mean?"

"I've always known that I would leave here once I was done with school. My mom wanted more for me than this."

"What about the pack? What about me? Don't I have a say in that decision?"

"Of course you have a say in the decision. I've talked to Sam. Once I'm done with college I'm going to stop phasing."

"What about being Second in Command?"

"Paul wants it more than I do. He and Jacob can handle things."

"Where do I fit in?"

"I want to be with you. That's never going to change."

"What if I don't want to leave? What would you do then?"

"Do you want to stay here?" he asked turning his head to look at her.

"Well, no. It was a hypothetical question."

"Then I would stay. My life is wherever you are," he said taking hold of the hand closest to him.

"Good answer," she said kissing his neck.

Bella settled against him again realizing that she had freaked out over nothing. He should have brought it up sooner, but that couldn't be undone now. She really hadn't thought about what she wanted to after college. She knew that she wanted to live close to her parents, but which one? She couldn't see Embry living in Florida because it was too close to Joshua.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Where do you see us living?"

"I hadn't thought about that yet."

"I would want to stay close to my dad since living close to my mom is out of the question."

"What about Seattle?"

"I was thinking out of state, but Seattle would be nice."

"I wouldn't ask you to move out of state."

She turned on her side before draping an arm over his waist. He ran a hand down her back slowly before coming to stop at the small of her back. His eyes moved to the envelope on his dresser and he stared at it darkly. It had arrived yesterday and he was scared to open it. He hadn't told her about it because he knew that she would want him to open it right away. He hadn't heard from his dad since he left to go back to Florida two months ago. He hadn't expected to hear from him again until he went to see him. What could he want? What could he have to say that couldn't wait a week until Embry was there to say it face to face? Embry shook the thoughts from his head with a sigh. He would read the letter after Bella left.

XXXX

Bella woke up on Thursday to see the sun shining brightly through the window over Embry's bed. He had let her sleep in. She reached for her phone groggily and sighed when she realized that it was almost nine. He was more than likely just finishing his exam.

She threw her legs over the side of the bed and walked to the closet in her t-shirt and underwear. She had a feeling that Nadine was already asleep after working at the factory all night. She was working the afternoon shift at the hospital to make up for not working tomorrow or Saturday. Bella quietly dressed before silently leaving the house.

At Sue's Leah and Natalia watched the kids play in the front yard. Sue's car was not in the driveway so Bella took that as a sign that she had some time to get a shower and finish completely waking up before she faced the rest of the day.

"Did you have a late night?" Leah asked with a teasing smile.

"Not really. I was just worn out from yesterday."

"Me too, I wasn't as lucky as you were," she said tiredly.

"Go sleep now. I can take over here."

"Thank you," Leah said putting a hand on Bella's shoulder as she passed her to walk into the house.

"It'll be a while before Aunt Sue comes back. She had to pick up Nanaw and then she was going to pick up the dresses and tuxes."

"Isn't my dad doing anything to help?"

"He's been working so much since I got here Monday. I've only seen him once. Sue said that he's making up for the next few weeks because he wants to get everyone settled in at the house before going back to work."

"I guess I can understand that," Bella said with a nod.

"Leah told me that you and Embry are going on a road trip this summer."

"We leave on Sunday morning."

"How are the two of you doing?"

"Good. There's been a lot of stress lately because of the wedding and his mom is having trouble letting him go but we're working through it."

"I would imagine that a lot of it has to do with the wedding."

"Not all of it. We're still getting to know things about each other and we don't always see eye to eye."

"You will never stop learning things about him. That's one thing that I've learned the six years that I've been with Jason."

"I guess," she said with a shrug.

"But it's good that the two of you are working through your problems. You two are a lot smarter than I was at eighteen."

"Thanks," Bella said laughing shyly.

"You're welcome."

Embry's car pulled up in his driveway and Bella waved from the porch. He waved back before heading into the house. Natalia watched the interaction with worry. She had known Embry for a while and she knew the kind of person he was, but she didn't know Bella very well. She thought that Bella was nice and that she was great at adapting to every situation that was thrown at her but she didn't know much else about her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Bella said turning to face Natalia.

"We're you in love with Jacob when the two of you were together?"

"I thought I was. I care for him very deeply, but only as a friend. Embry and Allison know that."

"So Allison isn't going to get hurt later on down the road?"

"No," Bella said in concern.

"I didn't mean to insult you. I've known Allison for ten years and I've been with Jason for six. She's vulnerable and she isn't always as confident as everyone thinks she is."

"I understand."

"She's like a little sister to me. If she trusts you than you must not be as bad as I thought."

"I'm not a bad person at all."

"Leah used to talk about you like you were possessed."

"There was a time when I wasn't myself. I let myself be swept away by someone and I became the kind of person they wanted me to be."

"This is the ex-fiancée?"

"Yeah," Bella said quietly.

"Well then I'm glad that you were able to walk away from the situation."

"I am too."

"We should probably round up the kids. The food needs to be warmed up by the time Sue comes back," she said turning her attention to the girls and Brady in the yard.

Inside the house Bella worked on heating the food while Natalia got the kids settled down with a movie. Sue came home with her mom and sister an hour later. Sue came into the kitchen to help Bella while her mom and sister went into the living room.

"Where's Leah?"

"She's lying down."

"I do appreciate what you've done for me. I don't thank you enough."

"Yes you do."

"It doesn't feel like it sometimes. I've had you help me with everything. I wouldn't be surprised if you jumped through hoops if you I asked you to."

"You aren't going to, are you?" Bella asked with a scared look.

"No Honey, I'm not," Sue said with a laugh.

Bella let herself be pulled in for a hug as Leah made her way into the room. Leah gave her a worried look and Bella gave her an 'I don't know' look.

"Come here, Leah."

"Aw Ma, do I have to hug you?" Leah asked with a groan.

"Humor me, just this once. I want to thank you for helping me."

"You're welcome," Leah said from where she stood at the refrigerator.

"Leah Alexandra Clearwater get over here right now and hug me," Sue admonished.

Leah sighed deeply before walking over to her mother. Sue enveloped Leah in a hug and Leah awkwardly patted her back. Sue held her tighter and Leah finally gave in and hugged her properly. Seth came in the front door and saw the exchange. He crossed the room and enveloped the two of them in a hug.

"That's my boy," Sue said proudly.

"Suck up," Leah mumbled.

Seth tightened his hold on her and Bella could hear bones cracking under the pressure.

"Seth, let her go," Sue cautioned.

"Yes ma'am," he said giving Leah a smart alike smile.

"You wait," Leah breathed.

"He broke your ribs?" Bella asked.

Leah held up three fingers as she gripped the counter. Her face contorted in pain as Sue hovered over her.

"Mom I'll be fine."

"Maybe next time you'll be nicer to him."

Sue helped Leah over to the table while Bella went back to stirring the soup on the stove. Sue's mother came in and hovered behind Sue.

"She's fine Momma. No need to fuss over her. She's starting to breathe again."

"Nanaw I'm fine, really."

"You're sure?"

Leah nodded and Madeline hit Seth playfully. His grin from a few seconds before now turned to a look of terror because Leah was stalking towards him.

"Leah, Julian is here," Natalia said from the front window.

"Yes, saved by the imprint," Seth said under his breath.

Leah rolled her eyes at him before turning to walk out of the room. Embry came in followed by Julian. Embry walked into the kitchen and was enveloped in a hug by Madeline before being passed to Sue. Sue hugged him lightly before letting him go. He crossed the room to stand in front of Bella. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her waist.

"Seth, go and get my things out of the car, hmm?" Madeline said pushing Seth out of the room.

No one understood why she was okay with Bella and Embry being together. Bella had the sneaking suspicion that someone had told her the truth. Madeline and Sue walked into the living room silently before Embry leaned down to kiss Bella lightly.

She sighed against his lips before threading her fingers in his hair. He pulled away to put his head to hers, looking down at her with curious eyes. She hadn't had much to say to him since he had told her his plans for after college. He wished that she would tell him what she was thinking.

Her eyes met his, giving him a weary look. That gave him the answer he needed. She had issues with him not talking to her sooner. He didn't blame her; he would be upset if the tables were turned. He held her tighter before resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Everything is going to be fine," he whispered.

"Do you promise?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No."

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

"You're forgiven," she said quietly.

He leaned back to look her in the eye then cupped her face in his hands. His thumbs brushed her cheeks lightly and she smiled, leaning into the touch. Someone walked into the kitchen but neither of them noticed. After a few minutes Embry finally pulled away. Bella turned to check on dinner while Embry leaned against the counter.

No one said that being in love was easy. That was something that Bella had learned early on in her relationship with Edward and it was a lesson that would stick with her for the rest of her life. Embry was worth sticking around for.

XXXX

The preacher stood underneath the arch with Charlie waiting for Seth to walk Sue down the aisle. Once Claire and Brady made their way down Sue and Seth stepped into view. They walked slowly towards them and Bella smiled while watching her dad. It was only the rehearsal and already his eyes were lit up brighter than she had ever seen them. She was glad that he was happy.

The run through lasted less than ten minutes and afterwards everyone headed inside for dinner. Bella and Leah were in their room watching over Lena and Claire while Bella also tried to pack. An oversized duffle bag sat on the bag and the younger girls were pulling out everything that Bella put in. Leah jerked a pair of pajama bottoms from Lena giving her a venomous look.

"If you touch one more thing I am going to chop off your hand," Leah warned through clenched teeth.

"Don't tell her that," Bella said as Lena started to cry.

Lena climbed off the bed to stand at Bella's side. Bella patted the little girls back once she latched onto her leg.

"Claire no want Bella to go," Claire said from Leah's lap.

"I'll be back," Bella said in a soothing voice.

"I come with you," Claire said climbing into the duffle bag.

Bella laughed lightly as Leah tried to pull Claire from the bag. Claire fought her kicking and screaming. Bella walked over to the bed and held out her arms for Claire. Claire raised her arms to let Bella pick her up.

"If you're good, I'll bring you something back."

"Me too?" Lena asked, still holding onto Bella.

"Yes you too."

"Dinner's ready," Seth said from the door.

Leah ushered the girls towards the door while Bella continued packing.

"Do you think that bag is big enough?" Seth asked in a joking manner.

"It has to be. Claire wants to be a stow away and I have to bring something back for Lena."

"And me."

"Of course, how could I forget you?" Bella said rolling her eyes.

"How much more packing do you have to do?"

"You act like I'm taking everything I own. I'm only taking this and my computer bag."

"That bag is the size of three regular duffle bags."

"It's got to hold everything I need for the next two months."

"Seth, Bella, come on. I'm starving!" Leah called down the hall.

Seth draped an arm over Bella's shoulders to lead her out of the room. She wrapped an arm around his waist before turning out the light. There was already a line forming when they got to the kitchen. Embry met them at the archway separating the kitchen from the hall and Seth let go of her. Embry took his place, taking her hand in his.

All through dinner Embry was quiet and mostly kept his eyes set at a point on the table in front of him. Bella knew instantly that something was bothering him. She would talk to him about it tonight. Right now she would be his steady place to lean.

After Bella, Leah, and Seth had cleaned the kitchen Bella found Embry on the porch. Jacob and Quil were sitting with him on the front steps. Once Bella shut the front door Jacob and Quil both said that they had to leave. Jacob went inside to get Billy and the three of them left a few minutes later. Bella sat next to Embry looking out over the yard.

"I know something is wrong," she said breaking the silence.

"Something is wrong. I just don't know how bad it is yet."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"When you come over later," he promised.

"That's not going to be for another hour at least."

"I can wait," he said sullenly.

"Why can't you tell me now?"

"I got a letter from my dad the other day."

"What did he have to say?"

"I haven't read it yet," he said with a sigh.

"I wish that you didn't always tense up when it comes to him. Maybe you're making something out of nothing this time."

"You think so?"

"You'll never know until you read it," she said putting a hand on his leg.

"I should go home."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said pulling her hand away.

He turned towards her and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting it so that her face was inches from his. He kissed her gently before pulling away seconds later. He gave her a small smile as his fingers grazed her cheek.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

"You're welcome," she said before pulling away.

He stood, shoving his hands in his pockets before walking down the stairs. He crossed the yard to his house making his way through the house quickly. He flipped the light on his desk on, picking up the letter which was propped up against his bookshelf. He turned it over in his hands, debating if he should open it now or wait until Bella got there. He shook his head with a sigh before sliding a finger underneath the flap. He pulled the pieces of paper out, feeling the weight of them in his hand. There were three pieces of paper in all. Something that was stuck between the pieces of paper caught his eye and he pulled it out with curious eyes.

It was a picture of a preteen boy and girl standing behind a birthday cake smiling at the camera. 'Happy 11th Birthday Kristopher and Abby' was written across the cake. Kristopher was a mirror image of Joshua and Sam. While Abby was shorter than her brother by several inches, she did have Joshua's mouth, nose and eyes. Embry had never been gladder that he looked like his mom. If he had looked like Joshua or his siblings he never would have been able to handle things. Did Sam know about them? If he had, he would have told Embry, he was sure of it. He opened the letter, bracing himself for what his father had to say.

_Embry,_

_I hope this letter gets to you before your graduation. If it doesn't then I want you to know that I am proud of you for finishing school. I was disappointed when I found out that Sam dropped out because of the pressure from being the only member of the pack. I know that it might seem hard for you to believe but I want what is best for you and your brothers and sister. I have not told Sam about Kristopher and Abigail, if you could keep it to yourself I would appreciate it. I think that Sam will deal with the situation better if he found out in person. Your mother says that you're a stronger person than I give you credit for and I pray that she is right._

_I am sorry that I cannot be there to see you graduate but things weren't able to work out that way. Kristopher and Abigail can't wait to meet you. I've been telling them about Sam for years and they have been more than accepting about having another older brother. They have a lot of questions for you when you come down._

_If I had known about you sooner I would have come home more. I feel so guilty about leaving you and Sam alone the way I did. I didn't think that I would get another chance to be a father and your brother and sister came along and I realized all of the mistakes that I had made the first time around. My father wasn't in my life either. I didn't have someone to teach me the right way to treat a woman. I know that isn't a good explanation but it's the only one I have. _

_Like Sam I was on my own a lot of the time because my mother worked three jobs to support my younger sister and me. I married Sam's mom at seventeen and by the time I was twenty one I felt like I was trapped. The situation with your mother was what finally set Nora over the edge and pushed me out of her life. I didn't even say goodbye to your mother before I left._

_I am so thankful that you have been accepting of me and haven't shut me out. That's what I did with my father when he came back into the picture ten years ago. He died before I could make things right. I don't want that to happen with you or Sam. Neither of you should have to live with that kind of guilt. Your mother did a wonderful job raising you. You are the kind of person I wanted to be when I was younger. You are the kind of person that I want your brother and sister to be. Don't ever let anyone tell you that there is something that you can't do._

_If I hadn't gotten Nora pregnant I wouldn't have married her. We hadn't even been dating that long, and to be honest with you I had stronger feelings for your mother but she had a boyfriend at the time. If things had been different I would have married your mother. Sam knows the truth and I thought that you should too._

_I don't want to upset you by telling you these things but if I have, please tell me. I want us to have an open, honest relationship like the one you have with your mother. She's an amazing woman Embry, never forget that. Take your time with Bella, don't rush things. You and she deserve more than becoming parents as teenagers like I did._

_I don't want you to feel like I chose your brother and sister over you and Sam. I wasn't ready to be a parent then. I am still learning how to be a good father. They're patient, like their mother. They know not to take things too seriously. I see a lot of Sam in Abigail. She's very compassionate towards others and has such a giving heart. Kristopher is very active and is always finding something or other to get into. He keeps everyone on their toes._

_I know that you are well and happy in life and I know that Sam is as well now that he has finally let go of all of his aggression. That is all that I want for the two of you. I will see you soon._

_Dad_

Embry folded the letter with a sigh. As much as he wanted to be angry with his dad for everything that had happened he couldn't be. Joshua had been younger than he was when he became a dad for the first time. He couldn't blame him for being scared and running; he probably would have done the same thing.

He walked through the house to the living room and knelt in front of the chest that his mom kept spare picture frames in. He found one and quickly slipped the picture inside before hearing Bella on the front porch. She came in just as he was standing. She watched him with curious eyes as he walked towards her.

"I have a younger brother and sister," he said holding out the picture for her to take.

"They look like Sam and your dad," she said smiling sadly.

"They can't wait to meet me," he said rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I understand the situation now. I don't hate him anymore."

"Good," she said setting the picture down on the table in the hall.

"Don't mention them to Sam. My dad hasn't told him about them yet."

"Sure," she said with a nod.

He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his waist, rubbing his back soothingly. He rested his head on her shoulder, burying his face in her neck. He took a few steady, calming breaths as she continued rubbing his back. He pulled away from her, pulling her arms from around him. He took one hand in his and they walked back to his room together. His mom wasn't due to be home for another couple of hours so he was going to take whatever alone time he could get with Bella while he still could. The next few days were going to be crazier than normal and he was going to need her with him to keep him from losing it.


	28. Finally Breaking Free

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

Embry woke up on the day of his graduation to an empty bed. He had hoped that Bella would be there when he woke up. He sat up looking around the room through bleary eyes. He rubbed his eyes with a sigh as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. He pulled on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt before opening his door.

The smell of bacon and coffee filtered down the hall making his stomach growl. In the kitchen his mom stood at the stove scrambling eggs while Bella was squeezing fresh orange juice. He came to stand behind his mom placing his chin on her shoulder.

"Morning," he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Morning Emmy," she said patting his arm lightly.

He kissed her cheek before turning to Bella. She was watching him with a smile as he pulled her into his arms.

"Good morning," she said, still smiling.

"Morning," he said before quickly brushing his lips to hers.

"We thought we would let you sleep in this morning," Nadine said while grabbing plates from the cabinet.

He looked at the clock above the archway to realize that it was almost ten. He had to be at the school by twelve. Nadine handed him a plate and he pulled away from Bella to stand at the stove. Bella stood next to him, their elbows slightly touching.

Nadine walked out of the room and Embry sat his plate on the counter before turning towards Bella once more. He cupped her face in his hands before leaning in. The kiss was gentle and sweet and he pulled away less than thirty seconds later when his mom could be heard coming back down the hall.

"I figured I would give you a few seconds to give her a proper good morning kiss. While I was at it I grabbed your graduation present. Honestly Embry, you act like I haven't seen two people kiss before," she said rolling her eyes as she handed him a small, rectangular, unwrapped box.

Embry pulled the top off and pulled a gold watch out of the box.

"It was your grandfathers. Your grandmother wanted me to give it to you when you graduated. She had it engraved for you."

He turned the watch over to see writing on the back of the face of the watch. _For__ my__ innocent dreamer, I love you so very much, Gran._

He smiled sadly as he slipped it on. He had asked his grandmother if he could have the watch when he was ten and she had told him that she would give it to him at a special time. He clicked the clasp into place as Nadine opened the front door. Jacob and Quil were walking through the yard and once they were inside Bella left the room to give the three friends a chance to talk. She needed to head next door to get ready anyway.

XXXX

The gymnasium was more stifling hot than normal due to the fact that two hundred people were cramped into the small space. Embry didn't understand why they didn't just have the graduation outside. It was a cooler and there was a breeze blowing. His mind drifted off topic as his principle droned on.

Jacob nudged him, pulling him from his thoughts. Their principle was now giving him an admonishing look.

"She called your name," Jacob said out of the corner of his mouth.

He gave her an apologetic smile as he pulled his a few pieces of folded paper from his graduation gown. They had waited until the last minute to tell him that he was required to read one of his short stories aloud. He cleared his throat before leaning into the microphone attached to the podium.

It took him less than five minutes to read the short story that he had chosen. It was a story about someone who was going through a lot of changes in their life and the person was searching for someone to understand what they were going through. When that person came along life became better and the person felt like they weren't alone.

Bella smiled, knowing that the story had derived from real life. She had been the muse for more than half of his stories since they had gotten together.

He accepted his diploma with a smile before returning to his seat. Five minutes later everything was over and he was a high school graduate. Quil and Jacob sandwiched him in a hug and he laughed nervously.

"We're done with school! Well, Jake and I are," Quil said excitedly.

"Don't forget us while you're at college," Jacob said squeezing Embry tightly.

"That just might happen if you two don't let go of me. This is embarrassing."

"Okay, enough with the girly stuff," Quil said before letting go.

Their parents walked up to them and they were pulled in different directions. Bella stood off to the side while Embry talked to Nadine and one of his teachers. Jacob came to stand beside her without her realizing it. He slipped an arm around her waist making her look up at him.

"I figured I would talk to you while I still could. Pretty soon you'll be the focus of Embry's nonstop attention."

"I'm already the focus of his nonstop attention," she said with a laugh.

"I won't see you for months, let me have a few minutes with you," he said before kissing her hair.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and he pulled her close. It felt good to hug him without any feelings getting in the way. Quil came to stand on her other side and draped an arm over her shoulders. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kissed her temple while watching everything that was going on around them. There was a camera flash making the three friends look up. Mae gave them an innocent smile as she pointed her camera at Embry and Nadine. Bella would ask Mae for a copy of it later, it would be great for her photo album.

Embry's eyes met Bella's and she smiled in recognition. He winked before returning his attention to his mom. He was glad that Bella and Jacob had been able to rebuild their friendship. He and Jacob had mended fences long ago and had feared that he would have to step in.

Embry made his way through the crowd of people who wanted to tell him how much they had enjoyed his story and he smiled politely and said thank you to each one but didn't stop to talk to them for longer than a few seconds. After a few minutes he was standing in front of Bella. He pulled her to him and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"How does it feel now that it's over?"

"Like I've still got four more years of school left," he mumbled.

"It will fly by," she reassured him.

"I guess it won't matter since you'll be with me," he said before kissing her cheek.

Bella took his hand before pulling away from him. She led him through the gymnasium, slowly making their way through the crowd. Once outside they met up with his mom and the three of them drove back to his house. Inside, Sue, Leah, and Emily had decorated the house for Embry, Jacob, and Quil's graduation party.

Bella and Leah were in Embry's room with the door cracked just enough to hear everything that was going on. Bella sat on the edge of the bed while Leah sat in Embry's desk chair. The chair was so small that she often found herself wondering how Embry was able to sit in it. Every time he sat in it she thought that it was going to fall to pieces.

"It looks bigger in here since all of his stuff is packed," Leah said.

"He didn't want to have to do it when we get back."

"When are you coming back?"

"The first weekend in August and that gives us two weeks to spend with our families."

"Are you nervous at all?"

"What do I have to be nervous about?"

"Being alone with him twenty four seven for the next month and a half."

"No," Bella said with a light laugh.

"I would be if I was you and he was Julian."

"That's because things are still new with the two of you. Once you feel more comfortable with him things will get easier."

"I still haven't told him that I'm a wolf."

"Why?" Bella asked with wide eyes.

"I'm scared," Leah admitted as she looked down at her hands.

Bella motioned for her to sit with her and she draped an arm over Leah's shoulders. Leah rested her head on Bella's shoulder with a sigh. It wasn't every day that Leah let her guard down. She would ask Jacob and Allison to watch out for her over the summer. If things hadn't changed by the time she got back she would help Leah work through her issues herself.

XXXX

The day of the wedding was overcast and everyone feared that the sky would open at any second and unleash a downpour. With less than an hour before the wedding started everyone was there and both Charlie and Sue were ready. They decided to start the wedding early since the sky was getting darker by the minute.

Sue stood just inside the front door with her mother beside her. Her father was too sick to make the trip down the aisle with her without having trouble so her mother had offered to walk her. She slipped her hand into the crook of her mother's arm and Madeline patted her arm affectionately.

"You look beautiful," she said quietly.

"Thank you Momma."

Emily, Allison, Bella, and finally Leah walked down the aisle and Sue patiently waited for her turn. They stepped onto the porch and walked down the stairs slowly, with Madeline leaning heavily on Sue. Once at the bottom of the stairs Sue took in her surroundings. A lot of the people here had been at her wedding to Harry twenty three years earlier. At the time, she thought that she would never get married again. She was thankful that not only she, but Charlie had been given a second chance at love.

Charlie's eyes met hers and she gave him a small smile which he returned. Madeline let go of her hand as they reached Charlie less than a minute later. They linked hands once they were facing each other in front of Billy who had been ordained by an on line website. He cleared his throat before opening the Bible that sat in his lap.

"Never in a million years did I ever think that I would ever officiate a wedding. This will be my first and last time so I hope I do this right," he said smiling up at the two people in front of him.

He read the love chapter from Psalms before mentioning that love means different things to different people. Charlie and Sue had taken paths in their lives that had lead them to where they now. A lot of things had changed in both of their lives in the past two years and they had both helped each other through it all.

He then talked about how Leah, Bella, and Seth already felt like sisters and brother because of everything that had happened between the three of them in the past year. They were now going to be a family and he couldn't think of anyone else more deserving.

Charlie and Sue said their vows next and soon Seth and Leah were handing them their rings. They were pronounced husband and wife and then walked up the aisle to wait at Embry's until everything was set up at Sue's for the reception. It had been a simple ceremony; it was what they had both wanted.

Embry slipped his hand into Bella's; squeezing it gently as they followed Jacob and Allison up the aisle. She looked over at him to find him watching her. He gave her a lopsided smile as they walked into the house.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do. You two go change while all of us get everything set up. Charlie and Sue said that the two of you could leave," Jacob said when he pulled them off to the side.

"We were planning to leave in the morning," Bella said.

"There's been a change of plans, unless you want to be stuck in the middle of a hurricane when you leave tomorrow."

"He's right. We should head out before the rain comes," Embry said with a nod.

"I wanted to take pictures," Bella said, sounding unsure of the situation.

"I'll take pictures of everything and send them to you. Get your ass in gear and go!" Leah called from the kitchen.

Embry grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her out of the house. Thunder rumbled in the distance as they walked through the yard. In his house Charlie sat on the couch with Sue in his lap.

"I'll change first, and then load the car while you change. Go say goodbye to them," he said before letting go of her hand.

Bella walked into the living room, her dad and Sue watching her. Charlie patted the space next to him and Bella crossed the room to sit next to them. Sue hugged her before leaving the room. He draped an arm over her shoulders and she moved closer to him.

"I finally get rid of you and I gain a wife and two more kids. It's crazy how life works out sometimes."

"I guess so," she said with a laugh.

"I'm gonna miss you Kid," he said endearingly.

"I'll miss you too," she said with a watery sigh.

"You'll call me won't you?"

"I'll call every day if you want me to."

"Make it every other day. That will work," he said squeezing her shoulders.

"Okay," she said with a shaky laugh.

"I know that I don't say it much, but I love you."

"I love you too Dad."

"I'm proud of the person you've become. You've got a better head on your shoulders than I do. Then again, you've been through a lot more than I have."

"Thanks Dad."

"Promise me that you won't grow up too fast. Don't get pregnant before you're done with school."

"That's not going to happen," she said with a nervous laugh.

"I'm not saying that you shouldn't have sex, just be careful."

"I will," she promised.

He kissed her temple before they heard Embry coming down the hall. Bella pulled away from him before meeting Embry and Sue in the hall. She took hold of their hands, clutching them tightly.

"You two take care of each other and call when you stop for the night, no matter what time it is."

"Yes ma'am," Embry said with a nod.

"I love you both," she said letting go of their hands and pulling them to her.

"We love you too," Bella said rubbing her back.

"Go change, and then go and say goodbye to everybody next door."

Bella changed quickly while Embry loaded his car. While it was younger than her truck, his car had close to seventy thousand miles on it and by the time they came back home it would more than likely need to be serviced.

Nadine, Jacob, Quil, Leah, and Seth were by the car when she went outside. Nadine looked forlorn as she held on to Embry. Bella stood in front of Seth and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Don't give Leah a hard time; I can't mediate when I'm three thousand miles away," she whispered in his ear.

"I'll try not to," he said with a laugh.

"Don't try to, do it," she said giving him a stern look once she had pulled away.

He nodded as he let go of her. She gave Leah an unsure look when she came to stand in front of her.

"You don't need to worry, I'll be fine," she said rolling her eyes.

"You'll talk to Julian?"

"I'll tell him everything and then I'll call you to hash it out when he runs off screaming."

"He will not!" Bella admonished.

"Let's hope not," Leah said pulling her in for a hug.

Quil waited patiently for Bella to stand in front of him. He draped his arms over her shoulders loosely and she stared at him curiously.

"You know, I should be mad at you for taking away one of my best friends, but I'm not. I can't be mad at you. I would want to do the same thing if Claire were old enough."

"Pass her down moron," Jacob said with a light laugh.

Jacob held his arms open for her and she willingly stepped into the embrace. He held her in a vice like grip. It reminded her of the first time he had ever hugged her. The protective embrace was one that she would never get tired of. She tilted her head to look up at him and he smiled down at her.

"I want to thank you for helping me this year."

"You don't need to thank me Jake; you would have done the same thing for me."

"You're right I would have, but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate it."

"You're welcome Jake," she said putting her head on his shoulder.

"Let go of her Jake, they need to go," Nadine said putting a gentle hand on his arm.

"Bye."

"Bye," she said before pulling away from him.

Nadine patted her arm affectionately as the friends crossed the yard and Embry got into the car. Bella turned to face Nadine to see tears in her eyes.

"I'm glad that Embry has someone like you. I couldn't have asked God to find anyone more perfect for him."

"Thank you," Bella said with a smile.

"I already think of you as my daughter in law. Does that scare you?"

"No," Bella said with a small smile.

"You two be safe and watch out for each other."

"We will."

Nadine let go of her and she made her way around to the other side of the car. Bella turned in her seat while Embry pulled out of the yard. Charlie, Sue, and Nadine stood on the porch watching them drive away. Embry took the hand closest to him in hers squeezing tightly. She turned in her seat as a light rain started to fall. They were starting a new chapter in their lives together, and she couldn't wait to start.


	29. Time Well Spent

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Warning: This chapter contains lemon.**

Embry pulled into the first hotel he could find once off the interstate. He had told Bella that he would drive until nightfall. He hadn't had the heart to wake her since she had driven the first seven hours and she had just fallen asleep less than hour ago. After twelve hours on the road he was seeing two of everything. He was ready to crash.

He got out of the car quietly and made his way through the parking lot to the manager's office. Once inside, there was no one at the desk, but a TV could be heard from the back room. He rang the bell on the counter as he took a look around. After a minute or so a young girl came from the back. The girl couldn't have been more than eight years old and her glasses were about to fall off the tip of her nose as she walked towards him. She gathered some papers at the end of the counter before coming to stand on a stool in front of Embry.

"Hi," she said looking at him as she pushed up her glasses.

"Hi."

"Do you want a single or double bed?"

"A single is fine. Are your parents here?"

"My Grandpa is asleep in the other room. How long do you plan on staying?" she asked as she marked on the one of the sheets of paper in front of her.

"We should be gone by Monday morning."

"One day, two nights. Are you with your parents?"

"My girlfriend will be with me."

"Oh great," she said sarcastically while rolling her eyes.

"What?" Embry asked in confusion.

"You should be forewarned that my grandpa charges extra if you make a lot of noise or trash the room."

"I'll make sure to keep it down," he said, looking down at his hands.

"That's what they all say. We require payment upfront," she said giving him an even look.

He paid her then she had to carry her stool over to the wall of keys to grab a key for him. She slid the papers towards him to sign before handing the key to him. When he walked out of the office, Bella was sitting on the hood of the car. She slid off as he made his way towards her.

"Where are we?"

"Boise."

"We're in Idaho, already? How many speed warps did you break to get us here?"

"None, I took the back roads so that we wouldn't have to deal with traffic," he said opening the driver's side door and grabbing their bags.

Bella followed him up a flight of stairs and down a hallway to their room. He unlocked the door and reached inside to turn on the light before pushing open the door all of the way. It was a typical cheap motel room. The shag carpet on the floor was a shade of orange that made Bella think of Oompa Loompas. The drapes were so dingy that they looked like they hadn't been washed in years. The bed had a flowered comforter that looked like it had seen better days.

"Well, not all motel rooms can be like the Plaza Hotel," Embry said as he set the bags down on a plastic table in the far corner.

"That bed should be tested for bed bugs before we get in it," Bella said with trepidation.

"I can bring in the sleeping bags and we can sleep on the floor."

"That would be better… at least, when the lights are off."

"Let's hope the carpet doesn't glow."

Bella laughed before letting him pull her towards the bed. She bounced up and down a few times, testing out the springs. It was soft, and it didn't make any noise, maybe the bed wouldn't be so bad after all. He fell back onto the bed with a grunt before closing his eyes.

"You shouldn't have driven for so long."

"You drove for longer than I did."

"Still, I thought that we could take advantage of being alone," she said trailing a finger down his stomach.

Embry groaned; his face a mask of frustration. The idea of finally consummating their relationship was tempting but he wanted to be able to remember it.

"There are a couple of conditions if we do anything tonight," he murmured.

"Since when?" she asked with a short laugh.

"Since, I found out that the owner of the hotel charges people extra if they make a lot of noise."

"A lot of noise meaning they disrupt the other people staying here by having sex."

"Yes."

"You've got to be kidding me," she said falling back onto the bed to lie beside him.

"I'm up for it if you are."

"No way," she said with a shaky laugh.

"Yeah, you're right. The idea of the owner sending his eight year old granddaughter up here freaks me out."

"Next time don't drive all day. I want you to be able to stay up all night," she said into his neck.

"You've got a deal," he said turning over on his side then draping an arm over her stomach.

They fell asleep overtop of the blanket with their shoes still on.

XXXX

Bella woke up the next morning to find herself underneath the covers. She heard Embry moving around the room behind her so she rolled over, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Morning," he said from the kitchenette.

"I didn't notice that last night."

"Neither did I; too bad it doesn't have a stove. We're stuck with a microwave breakfast."

"How long have you been up?"

"Half an hour, I guess."

"Where did you go?"

"I went for a run."

"Where is my bag?" she asked throwing her legs over the side of the bed.

"I put it in the bathroom so you could take a shower. I've already taken one."

"Damn you and your super human speed. You did more in half an hour than I could do in two hours," she grumbled.

"I'll remember to let you sleep on the left side of the bed tonight. You're in a bad mood," he said crossing the room.

She sighed as she met him in the middle of the room. He wrapped his arms around her waist loosely and she rested her head on his chest. He kissed her temple as the microwave beeped. He pulled away from her and took her hand to pull her to the island. She sat down while he pulled a sausage and egg croissant from the microwave. He placed it on a napkin before handing it to her and then opened another package for himself.

They ate in silence before she got in the shower. She heard Embry at the bathroom sink as she ran her loofa over her body. She was tempted to ask him to join her, but she knew that he wouldn't. He had promised that they wouldn't cause any trouble and he was never one to go back on his word. He was sitting on the counter when she turned off the water a few minutes later.

"Can you hand me a towel?"

"I was only able to get one from the manager."

"Well hand it here," she said holding a hand for it.

"The maid came to get it just after you got in the shower," he said with a snicker.

"Embry Lucas Call you did that on purpose."

"Yes I did," he said smugly.

"You Asshole, what am I supposed to do now?!" she questioned jerking the curtain back.

"You are so hot when you're pissed," he said his voice thick with lust.

"Don't try to sweet talk your way out of this," she said, glaring at him.

"Would it help if I said that I have something that would help?" he asked giving her a teasing look.

"I know what you are thinking and the answer is no," she said folding her arms over her chest.

"You'll be dry in a few minutes."

"And you'll have a hard on from hell," she countered.

"Oh, but it'll be worth it," he said looking at her with lust filled eyes.

"Payback is a bitch, remember that."

"What can you do to me?"

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" she said stepping out of the bathtub.

"C'mere," he said holding his arms open for her.

"Keep your hands to yourself," she warned.

"Scouts honor," he said holding two fingers over his heart.

She stepped into his embrace wrapping her arms around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder and he kept his hands fisted at his sides. She could feel tension rolling off of him in waves and she planned on making it up to him the first chance she got. His erection was hard against her naked thigh and she pulled away to meet his gaze.

"Keep it together. Don't think about me being naked. Think of something else, anything else."

"Right," he said with a nod, his lips forming a hard line.

After another minute she was dry and she pulled away from him completely. His erection had gone down, but it was still noticeable. She got dressed silently and he sat on the toilet while she dried her hair. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye to see him watching her. She winked before going back to what she was doing.

He came to stand behind her after she had brushed her hair and wrapped his arms around her waist. She squeezed his hands, staring at them in the mirror. She leaned against him and his eyes met hers in the mirror.

"I love you," she said.

"Love you too," he murmured.

"I promise to make up for not letting you touch me."

"That was pretty cruel," he grumbled.

"What you did wasn't right either."

"I'm sorry," he said into her neck.

"I forgive you."

He pulled away from her then walked back into the room. She followed behind him to sit on the edge of the bed to slip her shoes on. He took her hand to lead her out of the room. Outside the little girl from the office was getting ice from the ice machine a few doors down. Embry waved with a small smile and the little girl nodded in response. A woman was walking up the stairs as they were walking down them.

"You must be the couple that came in during the night. Is everything alright with your room?"

"Yes ma'am," Bella said.

"My Dad didn't give you too much trouble when you checked in did he? He puts every young couple who comes through here through the ringer before he decides to give them a room."

"I didn't have a problem with him," Embry said with a shake of his head.

"Good. Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you," Embry said before pulling Bella away.

Embry felt someone watching him once he started the car. He leaned over the steering wheel to look back up to the balcony of the hotel. The little girl was standing at the railing staring down at the car as he pulled away. He would talk to her before they left in the morning.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"You can't even give me a hint?"

"Yes I can, but I won't," he said giving her a teasing smile.

She shook her head with a smile as he pulled onto the highway. The radio played in the background as she took in the scenery. There was nothing but farm houses and fields as far as she could see. It was beautiful scenery to look at and since it was her first time seeing anything like it she wanted to absorb as much of it as she could.

They drove through downtown Boise and Bella was surprised to find out how busy it was. It reminded her of Arizona. Soon they were driving through the country again and Embry pulled off onto a dirt road.

"Are we lost?"

"No," he said driving down the road as slow as possible so not to hit any potholes.

After a few minutes the trees thinned out and there was a fence along one side of the road. There were horses grazing in the field, paying no attention to the car as it passed. An old white farm house came into view with a truck almost as old as Bella's parked in front. Embry came to a stop behind the truck and Bella turned in her seat.

"Where are we?"

"We are at Mulligans Ranch."

"Why?"

"My cousin works here. Your Dad told me that you took riding lessons as a kid and that it was the only time that he remembered you being happy back then."

"We're going horseback riding?" she asked excitedly.

"Surprise," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," she said reaching across the seat to hug him.

"You're welcome."

"Your cousin works here?"

"He left Washington once he graduated high school. He wanted something different," he said with a shrug.

Someone walked towards them as they got out of the car. As the person got closer Bella could see that it was Embry's cousin. There was definitely some resemblance. He was considerably shorter and his hair was longer than Embry's had been when they had first met. He looked like he could be at least five years older than Embry.

"Hey Cuz, long time no see," he said pulling Embry in for a hug.

"Hey Man," Embry said patting his back heartily.

Once they pulled apart he turned to look at Bella.

"You sure did get lucky with this one. She's a looker."

"Hey, she's taken," Embry said with a laugh.

"You got an older sister?"

"I'm an only child. Sorry," she said with an easy smile.

"Don't be sorry. I should have known that there was only one of you. It figures that he would be the lucky Son of a Bitch to get you."

"Bells, this is Jeff. Jeff, this is Bella."

"It's nice to meet you," Bella said holding out her hand.

"Oh no, you don't," Jeff said pulling her in for a hug.

"He's a hugger. I knew I forgot to tell you something," Embry said shaking his head with a wide grin.

Bella hugged Jeff back and let him be the first to pull away. He stood in between Embry and Bella, draping an arm over each of their shoulders. He led them around the side of the house to a huge barn. Inside the barn he grabbed saddles and bridles for the horses before taking them to the stalls.

"I should let you know that I believe in letting the horse pick you, not the other way around."

"Okay," Bella said as she walked down the row slowly.

She stopped to rub a colt's neck and to run her fingers through its hair before moving on. She hadn't gotten more than a few feet when she heard a nicker from the other side of the row. She turned to see a brown mustang with a black main sticking its head out of its stall. It wasn't much older than the colt she had just petted and looked like it came from the same line. She put a hand to its nose to let it sniff her and then it nudged her hand. She laughed lightly before petting its neck.

"You're persistant aren't you?" Bella asked the horse.

"She likes you," Jeff said from behind her.

"She's beautiful. Is she the colt's sister? They're almost identical."

"She is. You've got a good eye."

Bella smiled as she continued to pet the horse. A name plate over the horses stall let Bella know that her name was Buttercup. Jeff opened the door and put the harness around the horse's neck.

"I can lead her if you want," Bella said.

He handed her the reigns before leading the way to the end of the row. A black stallion tried to take a bite out of Embry's shirt taking him by surprise. Jeff deemed the horse his and Embry gave the horse a dark look. Bella hid her smile behind her free hand and was able to hold back the urge to laugh. Embry gave his horse a wide berth while Jeff saddled him up.

"It looks like Wesley's found himself a friend," Jeff said once he was finished.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Bella asked Buttercup, ruffling her ears.

"How did you know that?"

"Just a guess," she said with a smile.

"Every woman who comes through here does that."

"It's a movie reference."

"I am not riding that horse," Embry said pointing to Wesley.

"You have to. He chose you," Bella said.

"You're the first person to ever ride him, other than me," Jeff said.

"He's your horse? I should've known," Embry said rolling his eyes.

"I'm sure it'll be fine Embry. He looks harmless enough," Bella said as she mounted Buttercup.

Embry shook his head with a sigh before mounting the horse. He took the reins then waited for Jeff to mount his horse. Jeff led the way through the back field to a trail that led down through the valley below. Bella stayed by Embry's side, noticing that he held the reigns in a white knuckle grip. Wesley responded by nickering in protest.

"He can sense that you're tense. If you ease up your grip on the reigns, he'll calm down," Bella said to get Embry's attention.

"I'm doing that more for my benefit than his," he said, keeping his focus on what was in front of him.

"That's another thing. You aren't sitting right. You'd be more comfortable if you sat up straight. You won't fall off."

Embry straightened his back and squared his shoulders before flexing and relaxing his fists. He held the reigns in one hand, running his other hand through his hair. The horse immediately stopped complaining and trotted along without a care in the world.

"Do you not like horses?"

"I do, I just had a bad experience with one when I was younger."

"He was almost trampled," Jeff said over his shoulder.

"You did?" Bella asked with wide eyes.

"I was fourteen. I came here to work for the summer."

"This is his first time back since it happened."

"What happened?"

"The horse I was leading back to the barn was bit by a snake. I was thrown off and he tried to kick me out of the way before running off."

"Luckily Embry wasn't hurt that bad, Bubba wasn't so lucky."

"What happened to Bubba?"

"He wasn't the same afterwards. We had to put him down," Jeff said sadly.

"Bubba was Jeff's horse," Embry explained.

"I can't complain. I got a snake skin belt out of the deal."

"He went looking for the snake and killed it," Embry explained.

"You bet your ass I did," Jeff said haughtily.

The subject was dropped but it was obvious that the two of them were still thinking about what had happened. Bella had a feeling that Embry still carried guilt over what had happened even though Jeff had obviously forgiven him. She would feel the same way if she were in his place.

The view of the valley and the surrounding mountains was breathtaking. She was in awe of it all. The mountains were green with thick grass and there were wild horses feeding in the valley less than four hundred yards from where they were. Bella knew not to make any sudden movements so that she wouldn't scare them but that didn't make her wish that she could take just one picture of them.

They were back just in time for lunch and the owner of the farm invited them to stay for lunch. The house was smaller than Bella thought it would be. It reminded her of Charlie's house before it had been remodeled. There wasn't much room to move around without bumping into someone since five people lived in the house.

Embry mentioned that they had somewhere else to be before nightfall so they left once Bella had helped cleanup after lunch. The GPS announcing directions was the only noise as they drove down the interstate. Bella had a few questions that she wanted to ask him. At the top of her list was why he hadn't asked Jeff's employer if they could stay with them. Jeff had mentioned that they were welcome to stay and even the lady of the house had said that they could while Bella helped her clean.

Embry turned down a dirt road with a thin shading of trees forty minutes after they had left the farm. Bella took in their surroundings still wondering what was going on. He got out of the car and walked around to the trunk. She could hear him pulling things out as she twisted in her seat to watch him. He shut the trunk and made his way to her door. He opened it before leaning down to her level.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked.

"I don't even know where we are," she said giving him a worried look.

"We're going to have to walk for a little while, so I grabbed your tennis shoes," he said holding them up for her to see.

She noticed the bag at his feet then look back up at him with questioning eyes.

"Come on," he said holding out a hand for her.

She took it then let him lead her around the front of the car. She sat on the hood to put her shoes on and then he slipped her flip flops in the bag before taking hold of her hand once more. He always expected her to pull her weight and she appreciated that. Edward had always done everything for her and Jacob was so chivalrous that he always insisted that he carry her everywhere they went. It had been nice, but she had never felt like his equal.

He went down the path first so that he could warn her of roots sticking out of the ground and holes to step over. After five minutes of walking the trees thinned completely and a lake stretched out ahead of them.

"How did you find out about this?" she asked in wonder.

"Jeff and I would come here on the weekends. No one ever comes here," he said as he sat the bag down by a log.

Bella turned in a circle slowly, not wanting to miss a single thing.

"Is that tire swing sturdy?" she asked.

"I can't believe that is still here," he said with a light laugh.

"Why didn't you tell me to bring my bathing suit?" she asked as she turned to mock glare at him.

"Because I grabbed it while you were in the shower," he said reaching into the bag.

"I'm going over to the bushes to change."

"You can't change in front of me?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"Do you really want a repeat of this morning?"

"There isn't anyone around for miles," he said shaking his head with a smile.

"Well that changes things," she said closing the gap between them.

Once she stood in front of him her hands went between them to bunch his shirt in her fist with her eyes locked with his. She pulled it over his head in one smooth motion. He reached between them to unbutton her shorts, meeting her gaze once more. She pushed his shorts down his hips then he pulled her down onto the sand with him.

She settled herself between his legs and he wrapped his arms around her neck. She reached behind her to unclasp her bra and he pushed it down her arms to toss it onto the pile behind her. He cupped her breast in each hand, running a thumb over each nipple. She closed her eyes in pleasure as he massaged her breast slowly. His hands moved down her sides to stop at her shorts. He pushed them down along with her underwear before rolling off of her. She was on top of him, her hair cascading around them seconds later. She pushed down his boxers with one hand, supporting herself with the other. He pulled her to him forcing her to put all of her weight on him.

His fingers threaded into her hair as he pulled her down to meet his lips. His teeth pulled gently at her bottom lip pleading for entrance. She barely had time to open her mouth before his tongue pushed its way past her lips. He probed her mouth with so much need that it took her breath away. He had never kissed her like this but she wasn't complaining. She was swept up in the moment as she ran her hands down his sides.

With one of her hands wrapped around his erection and the other resting on his chest she set a slow and steady rhythm. Embry broke the kiss to stare up at her lustfully. She kept eye contact with him as she quickened her pace. He reached between them to bring a hand to her center, slipping in two fingers. She smiled down at him as she let him take over once more. She stilled, but kept her hand on his erection. She moved with him, making it easier for him.

He rolled them over with ease before adding a third finger. She ran her hand down his erection again, applying pressure with every stroke. He moaned, speeding up the pace. She wrapped her free arm around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

He reached over her head to pull the bag closer to them before reaching inside. He set a box of condoms on the sand next to them without breaking contact with her. He could feel her stretching around his fingers with every push. He wanted to make things as painless as possible for her.

She put a hand on his to get his attention and his eyes met hers with curiosity.

"You hesitated," she accused.

"I just want to make sure that you suffer as little as possible," he explained.

"You don't need to worry. If something happens, I'll let you know," she promised.

Embry continued to work on her center as he opened the box. After a few more strokes he pulled his fingers out then pulled her hand from his erection. He pulled out a condom and handed it to her. She fumbled with the wrapper a few times before finally opening it.

"Okay, so I'm nervous too," she said rolling her eyes.

"It's perfectly normal," he said running a finger down her cheek.

She nodded before taking a steady breath. She slid the condom down his erection as he put his forehead to hers. He guided himself into her but didn't move. He wouldn't until she gave him the go ahead. She linked her arms around his neck letting her hands explore his shoulder blades. She nodded once, letting him know that he could do whatever he wanted. He started slow, not wanting to do too much too soon. She bucked her hips to meet his thrusts letting him know that she was fine. He kissed her forehead, picking up the pace slightly.

Things were quiet all around them; the only sounds were the sounds of their bodies meeting and the staccato of their heartbeats beating in their ears. Bella threaded her fingers into his hair before pressing her lips lightly to his. He kissed her back gently before pulling away. His eyes met hers, questioning her silently.

"I'm fine," she reassured him.

"No pain?"

"I'm trying not to think about it," she said quietly.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Take my mind off of it," she suggested.

He kissed her, letting the pace slow once more. He reached between them, brushing his fingers across her stomach in a feather light touch. She put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

"I have an idea."

"What?"

"How about rolling over? That way I can set the pace and once we find a rhythm we agree on we can take things from there."

He rolled them over without pulling out of her. She straddled him, her hands resting on his stomach, trying to find a comfortable rhythm. His hands moved to her hips helping her slide farther down his shaft. She had felt worse pain than what she was going through right now, so she tried to focus on the situation at hand. She didn't want to miss a moment of time with Embry.

She slide farther down his shaft with every push and the pain was starting to worsen. She took a calming breath before slowing their pace. He gave her a worried glance and she shook her head in reassurance. She wasn't going to let a little pain that would be gone soon stop her. She quickened her pace slightly when the pain subsided.

He reached up to cradle her head with one hand and she leaned down to meet his waiting lips. She let herself be swept up in the kiss as they continued to move against one another. His fingers tangled in her hair once his tongue had passed her lips. She barely registered his fingers brushing over her back in the lightest of touches. Her fingers massaged his shoulders at a leisurely pace making him moan in pleasure. She smiled against his lips before molding her tongue with his.

The kiss lasted for a few more minutes before he pulled away. He stared up at her with probing eyes. She gave him a questioning look, wanting him to voice his silent question.

"You haven't noticed?" he asked in confusion.

"Noticed what?"

"I knew that I was throwing everything I had at you but jeeze," he mumbled.

"What did I miss?" she asked, thinking back on what had just happened.

"I'm completely inside of you," he said with a smile.

Bella stilled immediately. The pain was still there but it was starting to subside, not as noticeable as before.

"We made it through the hard part," he said reassuringly.

She nodded with a smile of her own. He brushed her hair over her shoulder before sitting up. She wrapped her legs around waist once she settled in his lap. He placed his hands on her hips once more to guide her up and down his shaft. She draped an arm over his shoulder before pressing her forehead to his. She could finally focus on him and giving him the pleasure he deserved.

Her free hand fisted into his hair as she angled her head to rest in the crook of his neck. She breathed deep, taking in the scent that she had come to know almost as well as her own. The mix of soap, woods and brine from his time spent on the beach almost every day since she had known him was a welcoming smell.

She kissed his neck lightly, keeping her lips pressed to his neck. She knew what kind of reaction she would get if she carried out her next plan of action. She started a light suction just above his shoulder indention and he hissed in pleasure. She smiled against his neck, applying more pressure. He growled lightly, enjoying the feeling of her lips at his neck.

She ran her tongue along the hollow of his neck slowly, her teeth pulling gently at his skin. She kissed the corner of his chin, just below his lips before kissing his cheek on the opposite side. She kissed his temple, his forehead and the tip of his nose before he finally got impatient. He lifted his lips to meet hers, kissing her roughly.

His fingers threaded into her hair, pulling hard enough for her to notice. The kiss grew heated as their tongues tangled in a battle for dominance. This was what they both wanted. They weren't the gentle type and she wasn't as fragile as everyone thought she was. He wasn't afraid to try new things with her, to test her strength. She would go along with whatever he wanted because she trusted him with everything that she had.

He pulled away from her mouth abruptly, leaving her not only breathless but curious as to what he would do next. He kissed her throat, moving his way down to her shoulder. He kissed each breast before urging her to lean back by pressing a hand on her shoulder. She leaned back, resting her hands on his legs, offering herself to him.

His tongue swirled around her areola so slow that it was torturous, her nipple growing harder by the second. She moaned deeply bringing one of her hands to his hair. She threaded her fingers in his hair lightly to keep him in place. He massaged her breast, his fingers digging into the flesh lightly. She hissed when he ran a finger nail over her exposed nipple. He pulled away, giving her a mischievous grin before moving to her other breast.

He paid the same attention to her breasts as before while she continued to move up and down his shaft at a slow pace. She didn't want this to be over, but she knew that it couldn't last forever. She closed her eyes, letting the sensation off his mouth on her sink in; it was one that she never wanted to forget. She felt her on coming climax and she inwardly groaned. He pulled away and her eyes met his in accusation.

"Don't give me that look. I can tell that you're close," he said, laughing lightly.

"I didn't want you to stop," she grumbled.

"I love watching you," he whispered.

She loved watching him too, so she wasn't going to deny him the pleasure of seeing how he was affecting her. He pulled her off of him and rolled them over so that he was hovering over her. His eyes bore into hers as he slipped back into her. He pushed into her a few more times before sucking in a deep breath; he let out a strangled growl before stilling. Bella reached up to run her fingers through his sweat slicked hair as he continued pushing in and out of her slowly.

She raised herself off the sand with a loud gasp as her orgasm swept over her. He rested his weight on one arm before closing the gap between them. He placed his head on her shoulder and she pulled his arm down to the sand so that his weight shifted onto her. Having all of his weight on her took a few seconds to adjust to once he stopped fighting her.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," he said kissing behind her ear.

"I wish that we didn't have to go back to the hotel," she said forlornly.

"I was hoping you would say that. I packed the car first thing this morning."

"How did I miss that when I got up this morning?" she asked with a laugh.

"You're nonobservant when you first wake up," he said indifferently.

"So where are we going to sleep?"

"Right here," he gestured to the space around them.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked in concern.

"You told me that you didn't mind camping," he said with a sigh.

"I don't. But there is the fact that we need food."

"I took care of that," he said pointing to the bag.

She pushed him off of her before reaching for the bag. She rifled through it, seeing a change of clothes for the both of them, two towels, a box of matches, a Swiss army knife, a package of hot dogs and hot dog buns, along with the box of condoms.

"You think of everything," she said endearingly.

"Great minds think alike. You find us some wood while I go back and get one of the sleeping bags."

"Why didn't you bring one down with us?"

"I wanted to surprise you," he said with a shrug.

Bella watched him jog back up the hill before going in search of wood to make a fire. She was touched that he had thought to make the moment special. He had gone out of his way to set this entire day up and she didn't think that she could love him anymore if she tried.


	30. Tense First Meetings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

After four days in the car Bella was becoming claustrophobic. They would drive all day, only stopping to eat and sleep. They mentioned places that they wanted to see on the way back along the way. Embry wanted to see the Alamo while Bella wanted to take a day trip through New Orleans. They passed over the Florida/Georgia line early on Wednesday morning. They planned on going to see his dad first then spend stay with her mom for a week through the fourth of July.

Joshua was not mentioned because Embry was apprehensive about meeting his younger siblings and step mother. He didn't like that Sam didn't know about them or that Joshua had asked him to keep them a secret from him. He and Sam were still on shaky ground when it came to Joshua and they were in a good place concerning their new found brotherhood. He didn't want to ruin things by not being honest.

They stopped two outside of Sarasota to get breakfast. Embry had driven through the night knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep so Bella had stretched out in the back seat. He shook her gently to wake her and she opened her eyes slowly, blocking out the sun with her hand.

"I figured you might be hungry."

"What time is it?"

"It's a little before eight."

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere in Florida, I'm not sure where. We should be at Josh's by eleven."

He pulled the seat forward as she sat up. He reached for her hand since she wasn't steady on her feet before leading her into the roadside diner. A waitress behind the counter told them to seat themselves and that she would be with them in a minute. Embry slouched down into the seat, his eyes drooped in exhaustion.

"I'm driving the rest of the way; you need to sleep."

"I'll be fine," he said as his eyes closed.

"Embry, you can barely hold your eyes open," she said in concern.

"What can I get you two to drink?" the waitress asked from next to Embry.

"Coffee," Bella said.

"I'll the same," Embry said.

The waitress nodded before heading back to the counter to get their cups and a carafe of coffee.

"Are you two from around here?"

"No, we're just passing through," Embry said with a shake of his head.

"What are your plans while you're here?"

"We're going to visit his dad and my mom," Bella said with a smile.

"Let me know when you decide what you want," she said before turning to the table next to them.

Bella looked over the plastic double sided menu while Embry took a long pull of his coffee.

"Don't think that you're going to load up on coffee so that I'll let you drive," she said as she looked at over the top of the menu.

"What looks good?" he asked picking up his menu.

"They have chicken fried steak."

"I'll go to sleep if I eat that," he said with a sigh.

"That's what I was planning on. Do you want to look like a zombie when you meet your step mom, brother and sister?"

"No," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Then you're going to sleep for the rest of the ride to Sarasota," she said as she raised her hand to get the waitress' attention.

"What can I get you?"

"I'll have the pancake special with hash browns and sausage instead of bacon."

"How do you take your bacon Hon?"

"Crispy; but not too tough."

"What about you?"

"I'll have blue plate special. Can I get the eggs over easy?"

"Sure. What else?"

"I'll have the fried apples and grits to go with it. Could I also get a side of pancakes and sausage?"

"You've got an appetite for someone so small. Where do you put it?"

"I've got a fast metabolism."

"I'll be back in a few minutes with your order," she said placing her pad and pencil back in her apron.

It was twenty minutes before she came back with their food. They knew that it would be a while because Embry's food would take a little longer to cook than hers would. All of the food was miraculously still hot when she brought it to them and she gave them an apologetic look. Bella smiled her thanks as Embry dove right in.

He had learned to pace himself when it came to people who didn't know what he was while he ate. Bella grabbed a copy of the local paper from off the newsstand by register and read it while she ate. To everyone around them they were just two teenagers enjoying an early morning breakfast before starting what looked to be a sunny beautiful day. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

Embry ate as slowly as possible, wanting to draw out the inevitable. Bella paid the bill while Embry went to the car. He was sitting behind the wheel and she shook her head no, giving him an even look. She opened the door and he sighed before getting out. He huffed and made a big deal out of pulling the seat forward then getting in the back. Bella waited until he was situated before pushing the seat back and getting in.

"You'll thank me once we get to your dads. You'll be more alert which means that you'll be able to handle things better," she reasoned.

"It's cramped back here," he said with a sigh.

"I can move my seat up if you want," she offered.

"That might help."

She adjusted her seat then he moved around again, trying to get comfortable. Once he was settled she pulled out of the parking lot. The sounds of his light snoring and the GPS were the only noise in the car as she pointed the car towards the expressway.

She knew that he had reservations about going to see his dad, but running from his problems wasn't going to solve things. She had tried to hide her fears and worries the same way he was and knew that the outcome wasn't pretty. The best thing to do was to face things head on and deal with the repercussions. If being a little forceful was what needed to be done than she would do it.

Before she knew it she was seeing signs announcing her turnoff. Less than ten minutes later she was taking an off ramp and heading into traffic. She knew that they were close to an industrial airpark so she would wait it out, it would also give Embry a little extra time to sleep. They would be at Joshua's within the hour.

The sun made its assent making Bella wished that she had pulled her sunglasses out of her bag that Embry had put into the trunk when they set off before midnight last night. He had talked to Joshua before they checked out last night, telling him that they would see him early the next morning. The GPS announced that she needed to take the next left which would lead to the highway. She pulled the visor down as she took the turn since the sun was directly in her eyes. She turned her iPod on and put one of the ear buds in her ear, since the car was too quiet but still wanting to keep an ear out in case her phone rang, Embry woke up or anything else happened.

Embry stirred as she stopped to stretch half an hour later. He climbed out of the car raising his arms over his head to stretch.

"Where are we?"

"We're in Sarasota. We should be at your dad's in the next twenty minutes. I needed a few minutes to stretch and collect my thoughts. I was going to wake you before I went inside to pay for some gas."

"I'll go pay for it," he said as he headed towards the store.

"You paid for it last time. Take my card," she said to stop him.

She pulled her credit card out of her wallet then held it out for him. She started pumping gas when she saw the guy behind the register give Embry a sales receipt. He got behind the wheel and this time she wasn't going to argue with him. The two and a half hours sleep he got apparently had been enough. He looked less tense and more alert than he had at the diner.

The fifteen minute ride to his dads was silent. They walked up the driveway then the walkway hand and hand and Bella squeezed his hand lightly in encouragement as they waited for someone to open the door after he rang the doorbell. There was a lot of noise coming from the other side of the door a few seconds later.

"I want to open the door," a young boy said.

"Mom said that I could open it," a girl countered.

"I got here first."

"We'll open it on three. One, two," she counted.

The door opened and Embry and Bella looked down at Kristopher who was smiling triumphantly and Abigail was glaring at her brother with her arms crossed. Bella let out a choked laugh as Kristopher stood back to let them in. Bella went in first pulling Embry behind her. He was cautious of letting Kristopher and Abigail get close to him and luckily the two of them had caught on to it.

A petite Spanish woman with shoulder length black hair came down the hall taking Embry's attention away from his brother and sister.

"Miha, Miho, let them come in."

Abigail and Kristopher immediately backed away and Bella looked at the woman standing a few feet away from them. Her eyes flitted to her children, her face a mask of concern.

"Joshua had to go into work for a few hours. He should be home in an hour."

"I can show you to your rooms," Abigail said before walking towards the stairs.

"We weren't sure if you were going to stay the night or not," the woman explained.

"We planned to only stay one night. Joshua said that the four of you were leaving this weekend," Bella said with a smile.

"We go to Disney World for the fourth of July every year," Kristopher explained.

"Embry, Bella?" Abigail called from the top of the stairs.

Bella led the way up the stairs and Embry trudged his feet behind her. She knew that the situation wasn't ideal, but the least that he could do was try. Abigail stopped at the first door and opened the door and pointed to Bella. Bella stepped into the room and she immediately liked it. It was all white with a bench seat underneath a big bay window. The brass bed that sat against the center of one of the walls was big enough for three people, or in Embry's case, just the two of them.

"Thank you for showing me to my room Abigail," Bella said giving the girl an appreciative smile.

Abigail nodded before taking Embry by the hand and leading him to the room next door. There was a bathroom that separated both rooms, but luckily the entrance to the bathroom was through the bedrooms. Embry's room was done in burgundy while the furniture was black and chrome.

"Daddy said that your favorite color was red so my mom thought that you might like this."

"It's very nice," Embry said quietly.

"Embry, why don't we get our bags from the car?" Bella asked from the door.

Bella followed Embry out to the car and Joshua's car pulled up as they were grabbing their duffle bags from the trunk. Bella took Embry's bag from him then headed inside to give the two of them time to talk. She was looking over the books in her room when someone knocked on the door. Lisa stood in the hall, not knowing whether to come in or not.

"I was wondering if you would like to help Abigail and I make lunch," she broached.

"Sure," Bella said with a nod.

"We'll be downstairs," Linda said before walking away.

Bella was thankful that Joshua and Lisa had opened their home to them. She hadn't expected that but it went to show that Joshua was willing to make amends for not being in Embry's life. She made her way downstairs after taking a quick shower. Embry and Joshua were talking in the living room when she passed so she decided to leave them alone. She followed Abigail's voice to the back of the house and found Lisa and Abigail had already started on lunch.

"Sorry, I needed to take a shower," she said bashfully.

"There's no reason to apologize," Lisa said with a shake of her head.

"Do you know how to make chicken quesadilla's?" Abigail asked.

"No," she said with a timid laugh.

"That's okay, we can teach you," Abigail said, patting the stool next to her at the island.

In the living room Joshua and Embry sat in silence. After Embry had brought him up to date on Sam and his mom Joshua hadn't had much to say. Embry was learning that Sam and their dad had more in common than Sam thought. Luckily Embry was comfortable with silence since his two best friends did most of the talking.

Lisa came to tell them that lunch was ready and Embry felt that he was ready to get to know his younger siblings. He sat in between them at the table while Bella sat across from him. Kristopher more or less asked questions but didn't give up too much information. Embry could understand that he was cautious; he could see that the boy was wise beyond his years. Abigail told funny antidotes about she and her friends and what had happened that year at school. By the end of lunch Embry was starting to feel more comfortable around them. Lisa asked Bella a few questions but other than that she didn't say much. There was something in her eyes that let Embry know that she wasn't quite sold on the situation they were in.

After lunch Joshua took Embry and Bella on a tour of the city while Lisa took the twins to see a movie. By the time they got back Bella was ready for some peace and quiet. She said that she was going upstairs and soon Embry was entering her room through the bathroom.

"Shouldn't you be with your dad?"

"He's on the phone with his business partner. He should be a while," he said, crossing the room.

She rolled over on her back to give him room and he lay on his side with his head propped up by his hand. His free hand went to her stomach to push up her shirt. He drew lazy circles, taking in the silence. She sighed in contentment grateful to have a few minutes with him. She had been worried about him for a while there, but it was good to know that he was finally starting to feel comfortable. It had taken a lot of courage for him to step out of his element and into unchartered territory but she should have known that he wouldn't have trouble adjusting. He had been through so much in the past year and a half that nothing could knock him down, at least not for long.


	31. A Different Perspective

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

Leah woke up on the morning that her mom, Seth and Charlie were supposed to move out with a sense that something bad was going to happen. She didn't get these feelings often, but when she did she was usually right. She decided not to tell her mom because she was stressed enough with the move. The pack had moved most of their things in while they were in California for their honeymoon. All that was left were a few boxes full of the things that they used every day because Sue had wanted a few more nights with Leah when they got back.

Seth and Sam were loading the boxes into the back of Charlie's truck when Leah finally decided to get out of bed. Sue was sitting at the table with her hands folded together. She looked up, her eyes clouded over with worry.

"Ma, for the last time, I am going to be fine. It's not like I've never lived on my own before," Leah said with an exaggerated eye roll.

"I know. I'm just being dramatic. Humor me, just this once?"

"Fine," Leah said with a dramatic sigh.

She held her arms open and her mom stepped into them. She rubbed her mom's back until Sue was ready to step away. Sue gave her a weak smile when Charlie asked if she was ready to leave from outside.

"Call me if you need me," Sue said wiping at her eyes.

"I'd be better off calling Mae or Sandra," Leah said passively with a shrug.

"That's not funny. You wait until you have children Leah Alexandra, you won't be so blasé about letting them go."

"No, I'll give them a swift boot kick out the door as soon as they turn eighteen."

"We'll see," Sue said with a short laugh.

Leah followed Sue to the door and leaned against it, watching the three of them climb into the cab. She could see Sam was almost home by the time she closed the front door. Now that she was alone there was nothing to take her mind off of the sinking feeling in her stomach that refused to go away.

She made the decision to call Julian and confirm that he was coming over that night. She was going to make him dinner and finally tell him the truth. That was more than likely where her sense of foreboding had sprung from. She hoped that it would one of the few times that she would be wrong.

XXXX

Bella drummed her fingers nervously on the table of the diner that they had stopped at for lunch. She hoped that her plan worked. They had stopped by her mom's that morning and she had been able to slip something into the mailbox without being noticed. She smiled thinking of the postcard that she had purchased at a gas station less than ten minutes from her mom's. Her mom would be shocked but surprised and overly excited to see her and to finally meet Embry. Bella had written '_Guess where I am__'_ on the back of the post card to tease her. Her cell phone came to life making her jump. Her mom's face flashed on the screen making her smile.

"Hey Mom," she greeted her after picking up on the second ring.

"You're here?" Renee said, trying to keep from screaming in excitement.

"I am in Jacksonville, but the question is where?"

"How am I supposed to know?!" she said with a laugh.

"I'll give you a hint," she said holding her phone away from her ear so that Renee could hear the seagulls calling from the beach across the street.

"There are at least five beaches here," Renee said as if Bella were torturing her.

Bella followed Embry to the car and got in closing the door as quietly as she could. Renee asked where she was again once Embry started the car.

"I'm a girl on the move Mom. I'm not going to tell you everything," she teased.

"If you are not here in twenty minutes I am coming to look for you," Renee threatened.

"Good luck with that, especially since you don't know what kind of car Embry drives or what he looks like," Bella said with a short laugh.

"You like torturing me don't you? Living with your dad has changed you," she complained.

Embry turned onto Renee's street and they saw her sitting on her front stoop. She came down the walkway as the car slowed to a stop. Bella expected her to bum rush her but she passed with only a nod to walk around the front of the car. Embry got out, looking at Bella unsurely. She shrugged, not knowing what would happen next.

"Whoa Baby," Renee said underneath her breath.

"Mom?" Bella asked, curiously.

"Now I know why you haven't sent me any pictures of him. Picture's probably don't do him justice do they?"

"You'd be surprised," Bella said with a lopsided smile.

"I'm sorry. Where are my manners? It's nice to meet you, I'm Renee," she said with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you too," Embry said with a nervous smile.

Bella had told him that her mom was unpredictable and that she lacked the edit filter that most people had but he hadn't been prepared for her. She was harmless, that much he could tell but it would take him a few minutes to get his bearings. Bella grabbed their bags from the car before tucking a hand in the crook of his arm. She pulled him into the house with her mom leading the way.

"Where should I put our bags mom?"

"The room at the end of the hall is yours," Renee called from the kitchen.

"We get to share a room?" Embry asked.

"Mm hmm," Bella said as she opened the door.

She set the bags on the bed before going through hers in search of the photo album. She carried the album into the kitchen where Phil and Renee were sitting at the island.

"Why don't you and I take some time to get to know each other Embry? I promise that I'm less abrasive than she is," Phil offered.

Renee waited until Embry followed Phil out the back door before turning attention back to Bella.

"Is he alright?"

"He's a little shy around people he doesn't know. He'll be fine by tonight."

"How long do you plan on staying?"

"Would it be okay if we stayed for a week?"

"That is the best news that I have had in ages, of course it's alright. Now, crack open that photo album," she said scooting closer so that they could look through the book together.

The first picture was of Charlie, Billy and Jacob, taken not long after she had moved to Forks.

"That's Jacob? Wow, he looks just like Billy," she marveled.

"He's cut his hair since then, just wait," Bella said with a coy smile.

The next few pages were pictures of her friends from school and Bella told her funny antidotes about each of them. She paused on a picture of her and Jacob not long after he had joined the pack. She was on his back and he was looking over his shoulder at her with a grin. She smiled sentimentally at the picture as Renee took the picture in.

"You weren't kidding when you said that he had cut his hair. Is he on steroids?" she asked pointing to Jacob's arms.

"No," Bella said with a laugh.

"Is this Embry?" she questioned, pointing to a picture on the opposite page.

Bella looked at the picture with pride. She and Embry sat with their backs to Jacob's house with their shoulders touching, both smiling for the camera. It was taken less than an hour after Jacob had confirmed that he was a werewolf. Embry had a ball cap pulled low over his eyes so all you could see was his mouth and chin.

"That's him."

"Look at that smile, oh he is too cute," Renee said putting a hand over her heart.

"Just wait until you see Seth, you'll want to adopt him."

Bella finally found one of Seth five pages later. His hair was wet and mussed from swimming and he had water droplets falling from his ears and chin. He gave the camera a wide toothy grin that melted the heart of every girl he showed it to. Even Leah couldn't say no to him when he smiled like that.

"Aww, I'm in love," Renee said with a smile.

"He's such a cutie."

"And he's your step brother, so that means that you can't have him."

"Why would I want a boy when I have a man?"

"Good question. So are you and Embry doing okay?"

"We're doing great," Bella confirmed with a nod.

"Are you nervous about starting college?"

"I think I would be if Embry weren't coming with me. We'll both have a support system to lean on. I'll be fine."

"If I'd have that kind of support system I probably would have stayed in college."

Bella smiled feebly. She knew that her mom had met her dad while in college and she had dropped out of college when she had gotten pregnant with Bella. She had resented Charlie for years for talking her into giving up on her dreams when in reality he had been there for her in every single way. Renee had a distorted way of looking at things back then. No one was gladder than Bella that Phil had been able to break down all of the walls that Renee had put up.

Charlie and Renee didn't want that for Bella but she knew that if by some chance she was put in the same situation that she and Embry would handle it a lot differently than her parents had. She was stronger than people gave her credit for. Embry, Jacob, and Leah were the only people who saw it and pushed her beyond her boundaries. She was thankful that they had put into her life.

XXXX

Leah was setting the table when Julian pulled into the driveway. She could hear him walk through the yard as she took one last cursory glance over the kitchen to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything. She wasn't the best cook but there were a few things that she felt comfortable cooking. With the cold front that had come in with the rain earlier that week it was a good night for potato soup.

She was stirring the pot when Julian let himself in. He came to stand behind her, placing the flowers that he had brought her on the counter before kissing her temple. She smiled as she picked up the flowers. She brought the purple, white, and yellow daises to her nose surprised that he had remembered that they were her favorite flower.

"My mom told me once that you should always give flowers to someone who has moved into a new house," he explained.

"I've lived here for all but a year of my life," she said with a short laugh.

"But it's your first night living here by yourself. You own it now, so it's different," he said with a shake of his head.

"Can we talk for a little while before we eat? I have something that I need to tell you," she said cautiously.

"Sure."

She turned to adjust the temperature of the burner to low before walking to the living room. Julian followed her without thinking twice. She sat on the couch and he next to her then turned to face her.

"First off I want to say that I haven't been honest with you, but that it was for your own good."

"What have you been keeping from me? You aren't married are you?" he asked.

"No nothing like that. My tribe has a lot of legends that they take very seriously."

"Most Native Americans do take their legends and tribal rules seriously."

"But mine are more severe," she said looking down at her hands.

"You can tell me. I promise that I will try to be open-minded," he encouraged her.

Leah let out the deep breath that she had been holding in. She didn't know how to tell him without him thinking that he was either pulling a prank on him or lying to him. Sam, Paul, and Jared had tried to give her some pointers but they didn't help. Emily and Kim were two of the most understanding people on the planet and Rachel had known something wasn't right from the moment she came home from college, Paul telling her the truth had only proved her suspicions right. Why did Bella have to be so understanding and nonjudgmental? The four of them were a rare breed that she didn't think Julian fell into, no matter how nice of a guy he was.

"First off I want to say that what I am about to tell you does make me who I am but it does not define me. I have been trying to break myself of this place for years and now I'm stuck here."

"I don't understand," Julian said his eyebrows matted together in concern.

"That's because I'm talking in circles so that I can draw out the inevitable," she said with a sigh.

"It can't be that bad," he said with a nervous chuckle.

"It's not bad, but it is scary as hell and woman in my tribe have been going through this for centuries."

"Wait, what?"

"I'm the first female in my tribe that this has happened to so that would make you the first man to be singled out since it first happened three hundred years ago."

"You're making me nervous," he said cautiously.

"Okay, now more beating around the bush, I'm just going to lay it out on the table. My tribe has an elite band of warriors who have been chosen to protect our families and carry on the trait for the next generation."

"And you're one of these warriors?"

"Yes. Here's where it gets hard to believe so just bear with me. Three hundred years ago my ancestors discovered something that could potentially wipe out our tribe. At the time they were called The Cold Ones; people who feast on human blood and will stop at nothing to get what they want, the men of my tribe discovered that they had an ability to fight them off and eventually kill them. The men of our tribe could transform into something else to fight for their families and land. Things were fine for two hundred years until the killers came back. They claimed that they were different, but that didn't stop the young boys of our tribe from going through the change. The chief of our tribe at the time made a treaty with them. If they stayed off our land and did not kill or change anyone than they would be left alone."

"Are you telling me that there is some kind of monster on the loose? I'm not five years old Leah, I'm not gonna fall for that," he said credulously.

"That's what I was afraid of," Leah said quietly.

"What is really going on?"

"I'm not lying to you and the fact that you don't believe me tells me how little you think of me,"

"Put yourself in my shoes. Would you believe me if I told you something like that?"

"I would have given you the benefit of the doubt which is a lot more than you've given me. If you don't believe me than maybe I should try a more direct approach. Come outside with me," she said before pushing herself off of the couch.

Julian followed her outside and she made a twirling motion with her finger to let him know to turn around. He did as she asked hearing the sound of clothes being taken off.

"Leah, what are you-" he asked starting to turn around.

"Don't turn around and don't come any closer," she said quickly in a scared voice.

Julian sighed heavily before turning himself around once more. What could she possibly be doing? He heard her walk down the stairs and then everything went silent. After another minute of silence he heard a loud rustling noise behind him. He turned around slowly expecting to see Leah standing at the bottom of the stairs. What he saw was a werewolf staring him in the eye. He stepped back in shock, taking the sight in. Where had it come from and where was Leah? He hadn't heard her run off so she must be somewhere close by. He searched the yard, hoping that she had been able to flee before the animal had gotten close.

After a few intense seconds the wolf changed before his eyes and Leah stood in front of him completely naked. She slowly dressed, knowing from the look he was giving her that he wasn't taken things well.

"What just happened?" Julian asked slowly.

"I can't explain it any better than that. I know that I shouldn't have lied to you and I'm sorry, but I didn't know how you would react."

"Werewolves and vampires? This is like something out of a bad horror movie," he said in dismay with a shake of his head.

"I would have said the same thing ten months ago if someone had told me this would happen," she said as she looked down at her hands.

Julian turned on his heel and walked back into the house. Leah walked in to see him grabbing his keys from off the kitchen counter.

"Please don't leave," she begged.

"I don't trust myself not to say something that will hurt you. I appreciate you being honest with me but I need some time to process what just happened. I'll call you," he said quickly before brushing past her.

"Julian wait," she pleaded, going after him.

He shook his head and she paused at the bottom of the stairs. Following him was just going to make things worse. She needed to give him his space and hopefully he would eventually find a way to forgive her and they could work on getting back to way things had been before she had told him the truth.

Leah sat on the couch with her head between her legs. She felt like her chest closing in and it was impossible for her to breath. She didn't get panic attacks; that was something that only happened to Allison and Bella. She tried to gain her bearings to no avail. She saw her phone within reach and she sent a quick one word message to the last person who had texted her even though she didn't know who it was. Her phone dinged less than five seconds later, it was Bella.

What do you need help with?

Can't breathe

Than call 911 dingbat

Panic attack

I had Embry call Emily. She'll be there in a minute.

Emily walked in hearing Leah wheezing in the living room. She took Leah's phone from her and sat it back on the table. She rubbed Leah's back in big slow circles to help her relax. Leah was able to take a few sharp breaths after a few minutes.

"Just relax, okay? Did you tell Julian? Just shake or nod your head," she said running her fingers through Leah's hair soothingly.

Leah nodded her head slowly as her airway opened a little more.

"Sam and I were at the store when he came through. It didn't go well?"

Leah shook her head sadly as she felt tears burn her eyes. She wiped them with the back of her hand feeling foolish for crying.

"He didn't completely disown you did he? Because if he did I'm gonna kick his ass," she seethed.

Leah smiled weakly but shook her head again.

"Good, so he's not a complete idiot. I wish that I could tell you that it would get easier now that he knows but I'm not a liar. He'll come around. Do you want me to call your mom?"

"No," she said hoarsely.

"I can stay tonight if you want me to. It'll be like when we were kids," she suggested.

"You call Allison and I'll make the popcorn."

"You've got a deal," Emily said with a gentle smile.

Leah wished that Bella were there but she would have to make due with calling her in the morning once everything had blown over and she processed the situation. She had never cried over a guy before, not even Sam. It just went to show that Julian was different from any guy that she had ever dated before.


	32. Sweet Silver Lining

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.**

**Warning: This chapter contains lemon.**

Renee had so much planned for the week that Bella and Embry were in Jacksonville that most nights they fell into bed exhausted. Embry was glad that Bella was getting to spend time with her mom. He had wandered through town for an afternnon while they had a girls day when Phil's team had an away game and realized why they liked the city so much.

Renee had great ideas for places to take them. She had ordered them tickets on a boat tour of the Florida Everglades within hours of them showing up.

"Don't expect to go to Disney World while you're with me. Anybody can do that; right Baby?" Renee asked, draping an arm over Bella's shoulders.

"Right," Bella agreed with a firm nod.

In the two days since they had gone clam digging and taken a tour of an orange grove. On Tuesday night Renee anounced that they were on their own. It was date night for her and Phil since Tuesday was the only night that Phil had free every week.

"You two have fun," Phil said, slipping a few twenties into Embry's palm.

"We should be home by midnight. If you go out leave a note and be back by one," Renee said before Phil shut the door front door behind them.

It didn't take them long to decide that they wanted to stay in.. They were ready for a night alone with nothing to do after driving nonstop across county and then being around their families twenty four seven.

"What do you want to do first?" he asked.

"I have an idea," she said as she walked to the shelves that held Phil and Renee's movies.

She pulled down Meet the Fockers and placed it on the coffee table before crossing the room to Phil's liquor cabinet. She pulled out two shot glasses and a bottle of strawberry schnapps.

"What is that for?"

"We're going to play a game. Everytime Robert DeNiro says 'Focker' we take a shot. You come up with what we do next."

"Does it have to be strawberry schnapps? Doesn't he have anything else?" he said with an eye roll.

Bella continued her search then replaced the schnapps with a clear liquid. She held it by the body of the bottle so that he couldn't see the label. She held it out to him with the label still hidden. Flecks of gold floated around the bottom of the bottle.

"Will this work?"

"What is it?"

"Goldschlager."

"Gold what?"

"It's cinnamon flavored whiskey," she said placing the bottle and glasses with the movie.

"I've never seen that movie."

"Really? Then prepair to laugh your ass off as we get shit faced."

At least a dozen shots each and an hour and forty five minutes later they were not only buzzed but feeling bold. Embry pulled Bella from the couch and they both stumbled down the hall to their room.

He quickly shed his shorts and Bella pulled her free arm out of her shirt before pulling her hand from his.

"You suck, your idea is better than mine," she giggled.

"We're not staying in here, we're just leaving our clothes here, come on," he said, pulling his shirt off as he crossed the room to her sliding glass door.

She kicked off her shorts before following him to the patio. He pulled her to him, carressing her sides with a feather light touch.

"You ready?" he asked with a mischevious gleam in his eye.

"For what?" she asked, knowing that he was up to no good.

"This," he said before quickly shoving her into the pool.

She came up sputtering to find him standing over her laughing. She shook her head with a sigh before splashing him. He sat down in front of her with his feet in the water a few seconds later.

"What was that for?"

"I like seeing you wet," he said with a smirk.

"Come and get me," she said before pushing away from the side of the pool.

She was almost to the shallow end when he caught up with her. He had her turned around before her feet could touch the bottom. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as he carried her to the stairs.

He sat down with her in his lap half way up the stairs. Her bra straps were falling down her arms as he felt goose bumps form beneath his hands. They didn't need to worry about anyone seeing them unless the neighbors turned on their back porch light. They would need to be quiet from now on unless they wanted an audience.

Bella reached behind her to undo her bra and then tossed it aside, snickering when it landed with a wet thump on one of the lounge chairs. She pushed her hair out of her face with one hand as she made eye contact with Embry.

"I still say that this is better than my idea," she said with a coy smile.

He shrugged his shoulders with a smile before realizing that he had forgotten something inside. He picked her up and placed her on the stairs before jogging into the house. He came back less than a second later with a couple of condoms. Bella had made her way back into the water and was leaning against the wall. She had taken off her underwear and was now completely naked. Embry slipped out of his boxers before walking down the stairs to stand in front of her.

One of his arms snaked its way around her waist to pull her flush to him as he looked down at her. Bella's gasp was cut off as he crushed his lips to hers. He growled deep in his chest when Bella took things one step farther. She ground her pelvis against his, sliding one of her legs between his so that his legs were spread all the while moving them backwards until she bumped into the wall.

Bella reached behind them to grab the condoms. She ripped one open then manouvered her hands to put some space between them so that she could slip the condom on. Embry pulled away long enough to stop her just before she could slid it down his erection.

"Not yet," he said with a shake of his head.

He lifted her into his arms before she could protest and placed her on the edge of the pool. She spread her legs so that he could step between them knowing what he was going to do. He dove into her folds showing no restraint. She grabbed hold of his shoulders, digging her nails into his flesh to keep from moaning in pleasure. He nipped at her pleasure spot making her jerk in surpise.

"Oh, you just wait," she said her voice thick with lust.

He pushed two of his fingers into her and she sighed in pleasure. He loved seeing this side of her because she didn't let herself go very often. If he wasn't already drunk he could get drunk off of her scent. He loved everything about her and he wasn't going to stop his menstrations until she knew without a doubt that she would be the only girl that he would ever love.

He pulled away after a few minutes and lifted himself out of the pool to sit next to her. She was on top of him before he could react. She gave him an even look before reaching for the other condom. She tore it open without taking her eyes off of him. She leaned up long enough to slip the condom on before guiding him into her and sliding onto him with a moan.

He placed his hands on her hips before Bella placed her hands on his stomach. She started a slow rocking motion and he matched it easily. She arched her back before bringing her arms behind her to rest them on his calves. He knew that she would be hurting in the morning if they kept up with the pace they had set. He tried to slow things down but she lifted her head to stare him down.

"Don't you dare," she warned.

He shook his head unable to hold back a pleased smile. He would let her have her way, if she felt that she could handle it than he would have to trust her. He wouldn't last much longer if they continued at the pace they were at. It didn't matter though, every time with her would always be special.

She hissed before righting herself. Her hair fell in a curtain around her as she slowed their pace. He could tell that she was close and luckily so was he. She bobbed up and down a few more times before her breath hitched and her walls convulsed around his member. He came with a grunt a few seconds later.

She lay on top of him letting his hands roam her back leisurely. She kissed his neck before rolling off of him. They lay side by side with their feet dangling in the water.

"Who needs to go out to have fun when you can stay in?" he asked.

"Here, here," she said in agreement.

"Love you," he murmured.

"Love you too."

She turned to look at him to find him staring at her. She gave him a lazy smile and he sighed in contentment. They both bolted upright when they heard Phil's car pull up in the driveway. They dashed into the house, quickly pulled their clothes on and then ran to the living room to stash the liquor and glasses.

Embry pulled Bella onto the couch and turned on the TV just as the door opened. Phil headed to the bedroom silently while Renee came into the living room.

"What did you two do tonight?"

"Not much, just watched TV," Bella said with a shrug.

"Really?"

"Mmhmm."

"The next time you 'watch TV' you might want to put your bra back on afterwards," Renee said with a playful smile before walking out of the room.

"Goodnight," Bella called.

"Goodnight Dirty Birds," Renee said from the kitchen.

Bella hid her face in her hands while Embry laughed into her neck.

"She's not going to tell her dad, is she?"

"Probably not."

"Good," he said with a forced laugh.

They turned off the TV and headed back to the bed room once they heard Renee and Phil's door close. Bella went outside to grab their clothes. She left the door open to let the sounds of the ocean filter in once they were in bed. She draped a leg over his and placed her head on his chest before closing her eyes. His fingers were tangled in her hair and he was massaging her scalp gently as she fell asleep. She couldn't think of a better way to end the day.

XXXX

The time between day and night seemed to drag on so slowly. She liked the darkness better, she couldn't see her reflection in the mirror across the room then. She was tempted to chuck something at it so that she wouldn't have to see herself. At least in the dark she didn't have to listen to the noise from outside. It seemed like even the crickets got quiet once the sun went down, like they could feel her pain, they sympathized with her.

Leah sat up in bed hearing the familiar crunch of tires on gravel. She didn't know why, but she looked out her window holding onto the hope that it was Julian. Sandra grabbed some groceries from her trunk before heading inside.

She lay back down with a sigh. Julian hadn't called her in days. She was respecting his wishes but that didn't mean that she agreed with him. She knew that everything that she had told him was a lot to handle but she hadn't expected him to shut her out. She thought that she had known him when in actuality he was only showing her what he wanted her to see. They weren't so different after all.

She hadn't expected to miss him as as she did. Things hadn't been this bad when Sam had left her for the last time. She wished that she could cry and get it over with. She would feel better and be more rational about the situation. So far the dam that she had built had yet to break so she was left in an emotionless stand still.

No one had come to see her since Emily, her phone hadn't rang. It had been three days of absolute silence and it was driving her crazy. She reached for the phone, turning it over in her palm trying to decide who she could call. She pressed the last number called and sat through a mechanical voice telling her that she had no new messages then it asked her if she wanted to listen to her saved messages. She pressed one slowly, steeling her nerves for what came next.

"Hey, I guess you're still at work. I just wanted you to know that I think about you every second of every day. What spell have you put me under Leah Clearwater? I'll see you tonight. Take care."

Julian's message lasted than thirty seconds but it was the push that Leah needed. She hung up the phone and swiped at the tears that were burning her eyes. She set the phone on her nightstand before rolling onto her side and bringing her knees to her stomach. The tears flowed freely and she let them come. She would have a better grip on things once she pulled herself together.

XXXX

On their last night in Jacksonville Renee and Phil took Bella and Embry out to dinner. The restaurant that Renee described was a little more fancy than Bella was used to but she had relented when Renee let her borrow one of her dresses. They were told that they could order whatever they wanted because it was a special occasion.

"What are we celebrating?" Bella asked, eyeing the dress that her mom wanted her to wear cautiously.

The dress was a little more revealing than Bella normally wore. It was a silk cream strapless dress with ruffles. It was the kind of dress her mom could pull off with no problem but Bella wasn't sure that she could fill out the top.

"You'll find out later. I know that you're thinking, 'I can't wear that!' But you can Bella my dear because I happen to know that you have a push up bra in your bag because every woman should have one for such an occasion as this," Renee said giving her a calculating look.

Bella couldn't argue with her, because she did have a push up bra in her bag and it was even strapless so there was no point in fighting because resistance was futile. Bella took the dress then went to get ready. Embry took one look at the dress when she hung it on the closet door and she could see his approval.

Ten minutes later she was asking him to zip up the side even thought it wasn't neccessary but it was an excuse for him to touch her. His fingers grazed her shoulder blades before resting on her shoulders.

"Can you ask your mom where she got this?" he murmured.

"I can, but she'd probably give it to me."

"Even better," he said, his voice thick with lust.

"Easy, Stud," she said with a chuckle.

He grinned slyly before kissing behind her ear. Her eyes fluttered closed with a content smile when he chose not to pull away. Her mom called her name from down the hall but Embry still didn't pull away. Bella answered her and Renee asked if they were ready. Embry reluctantly pulled away to let Bella grab her purse.

At the restaurant Phil was quiet while Renee rambled on and on about how she was going to miss Bella once she left.

"Okay, what's going on?" Bella asked once Renee took a moment to breathe.

"I have good news," Phil announced.

"What?"

"You know how I mentioned that scouts have been coming to my ganes?"

"Yeah."

"Well, they were major league scouts. I've been drafted by Kansas City, I start in two weeks."

"That's great Phil, congratulation," Bella said with a smile.

"The best part is, we don't have to move. Could you imagine me living in Kansas City? I would hate it!" Renee said with a shudder.

Renee was more of a sun and sand person. She hadn't liked Forks because of the constant rain and cold weather. Bella was glad that things were working out for them. It was one less thing for her to worry about.


End file.
